We are upgrading the repository! A content freeze is in effect until December 11, 2024. New submissions or changes to existing items will not be allowed during this period. All content already published will remain publicly available for searching and downloading. Updates will be posted in the Website Upgrade 2024 FAQ in the sidebar Help menu. Reach out to escholarship@umassmed.edu with any questions.
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Optimal equations for describing the relationship between prostate volume, number of sources, and total activity in permanent prostate brachytherapyOBJECTIVES: To determine whether there is an optimal type of mathematical equation for predicting seed and activity requirements for permanent prostate brachytherapy. METHODS: Four institutions with extensive brachytherapy experience each submitted details of more than 40 implants. The data was used to generate power and linear equations to reflect the relationship between preimplant volume and the number of seeds implanted, and preimplant volume and the total implant activity. We compared the R and standard error of the generated equations to determine which type of equation better fit the data. RESULTS: For the limited range of prostate volumes commonly implanted (20-60 mL), power and linear equations predict seed and activity requirements comparably well. CONCLUSIONS: Linear and power equations are equally suitable for generating institution-specific nomograms.
-
Can diet in conjunction with stress reduction affect the rate of increase in prostate specific antigen after biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer?Purpose: Epidemiological and laboratory evidence indicates that a Western diet is associated with an increased incidence of prostate cancer. Specific components of the diet, such as high saturated fat, low fiber and high meat content, may have greatest clinical significance in the later stages of tumor promotion and progression. However, departure from the conventional diet is difficult to initiate and maintain. Therefore, we combined the well-known Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with a low saturated fat, high-fiber, plant-based diet to determine the effect on the rate of change in prostate specific antigen (PSA) in patients with biochemical recurrence after prostatectomy. Materials and methods: We enrolled 10 men and their partners in a 4-month group-based diet and MBSR intervention. A pre-study post-study design in which each subject served as his own control was used to compare the rate of increase in and doubling time of PSA before and after intervention. Results: The rate of PSA increase decreased in 8 of 10 men, while 3 had a decrease in absolute PSA. Results of the signed rank test indicated a significant decrease in the rate of increase in the intervention period (p = 0.01). Estimated median doubling time increased from 6.5 months (95% confidence interval 3.7 to 10.1) before to 17.7 months (95% confidence interval 7.8 to infinity) after the intervention. Conclusions: Our small study provides evidence that a plant-based diet delivered in the context of MBSR decreases the rate of PSA increase and may slow the rate of tumor progression in cases of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer. Larger-scale randomized studies are warranted to explore further the preventive and therapeutic potential of diet and lifestyle modification in men with prostate cancer.
-
alpha(V)beta(6) integrin expression is induced in the POET and Pten(pc-/-) mouse models of prostatic inflammation and prostatic adenocarcinomaChronic inflammation is proposed to prime the development of prostate cancer. However, the mechanisms of prostate cancer initiation and development are not completely understood. The alpha(v)beta(6) integrin has been shown to play a role in epithelial development, wound healing and some epithelial cancers [1, 2]. Here, we investigate the expression of alpha(v)beta(6) in mouse models of prostatic inflammation and prostate cancer to establish a possible relationship between inflammation of the prostate, alpha(v)beta(6) expression and the progression of prostate cancer. Using immunohistochemical techniques, we show expression of alpha(v)beta(6) in two in vivo mouse models; the Pten(pc)-/- model containing a prostate- specific Pten tumor suppressor deletion that causes cancer, and the prostate ovalbumin-expressing transgenic (POET) inflammation mouse model. We show that the alpha(v)beta(6) integrin is induced in prostate cancer and inflammation in vivo in these two mouse models. alpha(v)beta(6) is expressed in all the mice with cancer in the Pten(pc-/-) model but not in age-matched wild-type mice. In the POET inflammation model, alpha(v)beta(6) is expressed in mice injected with activated T-cells, but in none of the control mice. In the POET model, we also used real time PCR to assess the expression of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGFbeta1), a factor in inflammation that is activated by alpha(v)beta(6). In conclusion, through in vivo evidence, we conclude that alpha(v)beta(6) integrin may be a crucial link between prostatic inflammation and prostatic adenocarcinoma.
