Prostate Cancer Canada Network

In The News

Well-Done Meat Consumption May Increase Prostate Cancer Risk
Research into the dietary habits of about a thousand men from the Cleveland area has found that a high consumption of meats, especially of red meat prepared by grilling, is positively associated with an increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. This particular study, which was led by Dr. John Witte of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has a number of limitations, but it does add support to other investigations connecting meat consumption with cancer risk.

Toronto researchers speculate regarding a link between prostate cancer and oral contraceptive use
Very preliminary and speculative research, designed to spark further inquires, suggests that there may be a connection between oral contraceptive use and rising rates of prostate cancer. One theory is that the widespread use of birth-control pills in various populations may result in a higher level of estrogen in the environment, which might, in turn, increase prostate cancer risk.

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More support for PSA testing as an early diagnostic tool

May 28, 2008

Researchers have discovered a "striking" decline in prostate-cancer mortality in the United States compared with the United Kingdom in 1994-2004. Noting that there was a ten-times difference in the uptake of PSA testing between the USA (57%) and the UK (6%) by 2001, they speculate that the more common use of the PSA test for screening in the United States might be related to this decline in mortality. (See a summary of the article "Prostate-cancer mortality in the USA and UK in 1975-2004" published in Lancet Oncology, May 2008.)

Closer to home, an excellent article by award-winning science writer Tom Keenan argues that provinces should "pony up for prostate tests." Keenan, who is also a professor at the University of Calgary, surveys the continuing controversy over provincial funding for PSA screening and urges "holdout provinces" to reconsider. (Read an article about this in the Ottawa Citizen.)