Psychological effect of prostate cancer testing highlighted

April 2010  

Men should be warned by their doctors that prostate cancer testing may lead to anxiety and distress despite the fact that they generally cope well with such news, Cancer Research UK experts have recommended.

Research published by the organisation in the British Journal of Cancer shows that one in five men can feel distressed at the prospect of having a biopsy after discovering they have a raised Prostate Specific Antigen level (PSA).

The psychological effects of testing should be clearly explained to men who decide to have a PSA test because nine per cent continue to feel anxious even after being given the all clear sign, said the scientists.

Professor Kavita Vedhara, lead author on the study conducted from the University of Bristol, explained: 'Even 12 weeks after receiving a negative biopsy result, nine per cent of men said they still felt distressed.

'While it's crucial that men are aware of the difficulties they may face when deciding what to do with their results, it's also important they’re aware that they may find the whole process stressful.'

The most common cancer in men, prostate cancer is responsible for 25 per cent of newly diagnosed cases of the condition in England and Wales, according to the NHS.

Equipment refinements could improve prostrate cancer treatment

April 2010  

Future treatment for prostate cancer could improve following technical improvements to a microchip-based device used for detecting and analysing tumour cells in the bloodstream.

Refinements to the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Engineering in Medicine-developed CTC-chip may allow better monitoring of how circulating tumour cell (CTCs) levels react to treatment for the condition.

A report in Science Translational Medicine revealed that the changes could also make it possible for scientists to identify key biological properties of the cells and improve treatments.

Lead study author Dr Shannon Stott of the MGH Center for Engineering in Medicine said scientists' ability to analyse 'cellular factors that could be markers for important properties of the tumours' were limited before the changes.

'The earlier versions of the CTC-chip required hand-counting of thousands of microscopic images, which was sufficient for the initial proof-of-principle studies but far too time-intensive for handling high volumes of patient samples,' he explained.

Prostate cancer is characterised by common symptoms such as pain on passing urine, as well as blood in the urine or semen.

Fear of dying increased by supportive relatives

 30 March 2010  

Studies of people aged over 65 in the UK have revealed that elderly individuals from ethnic minority groups with a large number of supportive relatives are likely to have a greater fear of dying.

The finding, which has been published in Postgraduate Medical Journal, seems to contradict views that the presence of supportive informal family carers eases the fear of death.

In a bid to gauge attitudes to death and dying, 1,000 people aged 65 and over were asked about how much they feared dying, the manner of death, losing control over their death and suffering pain.

More than half of the ethnic minority sample, which included people of Indian, Pakistani, Black Caribbean, and Chinese origin, had the worst scores for death and dying and quality of life compared to another group of predominantly white British people.

Older age was found to reduce fears around death in the latter sample, but having more relatives to assist in practical tasks increased fears in three of the four question segments among those in the ethnic group.

People are advised to write a will, which can help to address all the fears they may have about what will happen after their departure.

Age and gender linked to stress reaction

March 2010  

A new study led by scientists from the Universite de Montreal and the Montreal Heart Institute has revealed that age and gender play a major role in how people respond to stress.

Researchers studied a sample of 20 to 64-year-olds and found that women who are more defensive are at increased cardiovascular risk, while older men with low defensive reactions have higher cardiovascular rates.

The scientists explained that defensiveness is a trait characterised by avoidance, denial or repression of information perceived as threatening and will result in high blood pressure and heart rates in women who are defensive.

Bianca D'Antono, a professor at the university, said the findings suggest that 'socialisation is innate and that belonging to a group contributed to the survival of our ancestors'.

'Today, it is possible that most people view social exclusion as a threat to their existence. A strong defensive reaction is useful to maintain one's self-esteem when faced with this potential threat,' she added.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, work-related stress is widespread in the UK working population.