A new drug for the treatment of prostate cancer has been hailed as the most significant advancement in over 70 years report the BBC. Abiraterone works by blocking the hormones which cause the disease and, it is claimed, could offer a viable alternative to the deadly strain of the cancer which is resistant to chemotherapy.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the most lethal strand is almost always lethal, killing thousands of men each year.

The prostate is a small gland found only in men which produces a thick clear fluid important in the semen. The growth and function of the prostate is dictate by testosterone grown in the testes and, for this reason, previous cancer treatments have always focussed on stopping testosterone production within the testicles.

However the new findings have indicated that prostate cancer actually develops from testosterone produced in multiple sources, including the tumor itself. Accordingly Abiraterone has been designed to block ALL testosterone production in the body.

The findings so far have been of significant tumor shrinkages and reduction of patient pain due to the new treatment. Dr Johann de Bono the lead researcher reports;

“We believe we have made a major step forward in the treatment of end-stage prostate cancer patients. These men have very aggressive prostate cancer which is exceptionally difficult to treat and almost always proves to be fatal. We hope that abiraterone will eventually offer them real hope of an effective way of managing their condition and prolonging their lives.”

However he also sounded a note of caution by declaring that larger trials needed to be taken.

So how do you know if you have prostate cancer?

Well the truth is that as men get older the prostate gland often enlarges but most of the time it is nothing to unduly worry about. The usual cause is a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

BPH is benign enlargement not caused by cancer but which often carries the same symptoms. Most men who get BPH don’t develop cancer but you should still get checked by your GP just to be sure. Symptoms to look out for include:

• Frequently rushing to the toilet to urinate
• Finding it diffcult to pass urine
• Having to urinate more often than normal – especially at night time
• Experiencing pain when urinating
• Blood in the urine or semen

If you have any of these symptoms then be sure to see your GP as soon as possible. Remember – in most cases it will be nothing to worry about – but as with everything it is always better to start treatment sooner than later.

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In a study by researchers in Kings College London it has been found that nicotine can actually be good for the brain. But before you go lighting up a fag or slapping on the patches, be warned that the small health benefits would be far outweighed by the risks in most people.

Tests done on rats have found that nicoitne can improve their learning, memory and performance on cognitive tasks by up to 15 per cent. It is hoped that pharmeceutical companies can use the findings to produce new drugs to combat and prevent brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Obviously there will be problems to be addressed in the production of such drugs. The fact that nicotine is so addictive means that techniques will have to be developed to administer such treatments without the patients becoming reliant on it.  According to Professor Stoneman from the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College,  it may not even be possible to totally prevent addiction. Nevertheless  “this is a promising stage in the years of research”.

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According to a study by Dutch researchers too much coffee can reduce the chances of a woman with fertility problems getting pregnant. The study followed the progress of 9,000 women who had received IVF to see if they fell pregnant naturally. Although around 1 in 7 did, the results of the study showed that drinking 4 cups of coffee or more per day could reduce the chances of conceiving by a whopping 26%.

Some experts though were quick to stress that although these findings were interesting, the results of the tests should be still treat with caution. The whole thing was best summed up by Fertility expert Professor Bill Ledger from the University of Sheffield:

“A lot of women can have 20 cups of coffee a day and get pregnant while falling off a log, but if you’re already subfertile it could push you over the edge.

“It is only a problem if you are subfertile and you overdose.”

Although the studies may be inconclusive would we be overstating the obvious by suggesting that if you are having fertility problems then best to stay off the coffee anyway – just in case!

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A study published in the Lancet Neurology journal has found that blood pressure drugs reduce dementia by 13%. In a trial of elderly patients with high blood pressure, the development of dementia symptoms was compared between those patients who were being treated for blood pressure and those that weren’t .  The study turned out to be so conclusive that it was stopped early after the benefits of treatment in terms of reducing strokes and heart disease were so obvious it became unethical to deny them to everyone.

The reasons why high blood pressure might increase the risk of dementia are not fully understood, with the theory that it can starve the brain of bloodflow and the oxygen it carries being the most popular. Patients suffering this restricted bloodflow are often described as having “vascular dementia”, and account for approximately a quarter of dementia patients.

Other types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have no obvious link to bloodflow, but some experts think that blood pressure may still be somehow contributory in some cases.

The Alzheimer’s Society have illustrated their concerns with the link by stressing the need to try to prevent the disease.

Its own unpublished research suggested that vascular dementia was six times more likely to develop in people who had high blood pressure in their 40s and 50s.

If “best practice” in blood pressure treatment was applied to the UK population, it said, with every case detected and treated appropriately, this would save 15,000 lives a year.

Professor Clive Ballard, its director of research, said: “Only half of people over 65 receive effective treatment, yet we know treatment works.”

One thing is for sure – the list of reasons to have regular blood pressure and cholesterol checks as you get older grows by the day. Make sure you don’t overlook yours as part of your personal health care.

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