How being obese fuels prostate cancer: Fat cells release a protein that ‘accelerates the spread of the disease’

Men who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer, scientists have warned. They discovered fat cells secrete a protein that accelerates the spread of the disease. The protein, known as CCL7, sends signals to cancer cells encouraging them to spread to nearby organs, the French study found. Though their experiments were conducted in mice, the researchers noted human fat cells also release CCL7. They hope their findings could lead to new therapies to combat the disease,
particularly in obese patients. Read more

High-dose prostate therapy that halves trips to hospital: Having just 20 sessions of intensity modulated radiotherapy is effective and could save the NHS millions

After the initial shock of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, David Parker just wanted to get the treatment over and done with. ‘Fortunately, the cancer was still confined to my prostate, but I was advised to have radiotherapy because it could otherwise spread,’ says David, 73, a retired engineer from Surbiton, Surrey. Read more

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein made by the cells of the prostate gland. PSA is mostly found in semen, but it is also normal to find small amounts of PSA in the blood of healthy men. A PSA test measures the amount of PSA in the blood. Read more