High blood pressure and obesity increase prostate cancer mortality

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death, after lung cancer. Just in the UK alone, it is estimated that around 36,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and it is responsible for a quarter of all newly diagnosed cases of cancer in men. Of this total of 36,000, just under a third will tragically die; usually because it has not been identified and treated early enough.
Unfortunately, prostate cancer will usually cause no symptoms until the cancer has become big enough to place pressure on the urethra. The symptoms are also incredibly similar to benign prostatic hyperplasia, and thus if you have such symptoms, it may not automatically mean you have prostate cancer. They include: having to urinate more frequently, problems actually beginning to urinate, a feeling that your bladder has not been fully emptied and a weak flow of urine.

The older you get, the chances increase of you developing prostate cancer, with it particularly being prevalent in people over the age of 70. However, a new study has come to light that sheds more light on the ‘high-risk’ groups, and what factors contribute to the deadly cancer.

Dr Christel Haggstrom, from Umea University, Sweden, and her team assessed nearly 300,000 males from Austria, Norway and Sweden over a duration of twelve years. Their aim was to analyse prostate cancer prevalence, how many deaths occurred, and what factors were contributing to prostate cancer incidence. The study was known as ‘The Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer (MeCan) project’.

Through the follow-up period of twelve years, a total of 6,673 men developed prostate cancer and of these, 961 unfortunately died from the disease. It was discovered that those who had among the highest BMI readings, had a 36% chance of dying from prostate cancer. For those with the highest blood pressure readings, the mortality rate was calculated as 62%.

Dr Haggstrom and colleagues looked at a wide range of risk factors, including high body mass index (BMI), high blood pressure, and high levels of sugar and fats in the blood, This is collectively known as ‘metabolic syndrome’. She said: “When we looked to see if the metabolic factors are related to an increased risk of getting or dying from prostate cancer we found a relationship with death from the disease and high blood pressure. There was also a link to high BMI but blood pressure had the strongest association to increased risk. The results for BMI are in line with previous findings in large studies. I can’t speculate on the reasons for the association between having high blood pressure and dying from prostate cancer. More research is needed to find out why this is the case but the results add further evidence to the hypothesis that high levels of metabolic factors separately or combined are related to an increased risk of dying from the disease.”

Pär Stattin, MD, PhD, from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, led the study. He commented on its findings, saying: “These observations suggest that cardiovascular risk factors such as overweight and hypertension are involved in stimulating the progression of prostate cancer.”

If you are suffering with any symptoms mentioned earlier, you should visit your own GP as soon as possible for a check-up and do not delay in doing this. The earlier prostate cancer is spotted – the better chance of treatment being effective and a full recovery can be made. Alternatively, there is a chance you could be one of the 2.4 million men in the UK suffering from the previously mentioned condition, benign prostatic hyperplasia. Also known as an enlarged prostate gland, it can be treated through the use of effective medication such as Flomax Relief, which eases the symptoms associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of a BPH. Flomax works by relaxing muscles in the prostate gland, relaxing the muscles in the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body).  This lets urine pass more freely through the urethra, making it easier to urinate. It is available today from the Medical Specialists Pharmacy chemist shop, costing just £8.75 for 14 capsules, or £15.95 for 28.

Urinary incontinence shown to be prevalent in younger women too

Bladder control problems also known as ‘urinary incontinence’, has long been assumed to primarily affect those women who have recently given birth and those in old age. Besides the fact the problem can also affect males too (with many opting for Tena for men to combat the issue), an Australian study to emerge this week had indicated that urinary incontinence is prevalent amongst those women who have never given birth.

Over 1,000 women between the ages of 16 to 30 were investigated for the study and all subjects had not previously been pregnant. Almost an eighth of the women (equivalent to nearly 13%) complained that they suffered with bladder problems.

Senior researcher Susan R. David, of Monash University in Melbourne, explained the reasoning for undertaking the new study and said, “The traditional belief has been that incontinence really occurs as a consequence of pregnancy and aging. What prompted us to undertake this study was the fact that nobody had actually looked at incontinence in younger women who had never been pregnant.”

Mary K. Townsend, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, was not involved in this particular study but has done previous extensive inquiries into incontinence and its causes. She spoke out regarding the new study and said, “The study contributes significantly to current knowledge about urinary incontinence in young women. Overall, a key message from this study is that urinary incontinence is a significant problem for women of all ages.”
The women involved in the study were from either college campuses or health clinics in Australia. This has resulted in the study authors warning for some degree of caution in interpreting the results and that they may not be completely accurate representative of all women.  Also, only 63% of women who picked up surveys across the campuses or health clinics actually took the time to return them, meaning the results could be an overestimation as those with the problem may be more likely to answer the questions.

The study interestingly discovered that a connection could be present between urinary incontinence and sexually active women who are not using any kind of birth control. This particular group were shown to have the highest risk, with 22% stating they had experience problems in the previous month. This compares to just 10% of the women having urinary problems who had either never have never had sex or were on the pill and sexually active.

Incontinence is not the only urination issue that is common though. On the other end of the scale, other problems can even include the inability to pass urine easily, with some people experiencing a ‘stop and start’ motion in their passing of urine. Or, many people find they have to get up several times in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, sometimes never quite feeling fully emptied.

If you are a male suffering with any of the aforementioned symptoms, there is a chance you could be one of the 2.4 million men in the UK suffering from a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Also known as an enlarged prostate gland, it can be treated through the use of effective medication such as Flomax Relief, which eases the symptoms associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of a BPH. Flomax works by relaxing muscles in the prostate gland, relaxing the muscles in the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body).  This lets urine pass more freely through the urethra, making it easier to urinate. It is available today from the Medical Specialists Pharmacy chemist shop, costing just £8.75 for 14 capsules, or £15.95 for 28.

New drug gets approval for overactive bladder

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug which may bring relief to patients who suffer from an overactive bladder, when other medications fail to treat the problem. Mirabegron is an extended-release tablet taken daily that improves the storage capacity of the bladder by relaxing the bladder muscle during filling. The approval is based on three trials involving 4116 patients. Results showed that Myrbetriq 25mg and 50mg effectively reduced the number of times a patient urinated and the number of times a patient had wetting accidents during a 24-hour period.

Myrbetriq is a once daily oral beta-3 adrenergic agonist developed by Astellas. It has been extensively studied in more than 10,000 individuals over 10 years. Myrbetriq uses a distinct mechanism of action and relaxes the detrusor smooth muscle during the storage phase of the urinary bladder fill-void cycle by activation of beta-3 adrenergic receptors which increases bladder capacity. The recommended starting dose for Myrbetriq is 25 mg once daily with or without food. Myrbetriq 25 mg is effective within eight weeks; based on individual efficacy and tolerability, the dose may be increased to 50 mg once daily.

Victoria Kusiak, deputy director of the Office of Drug Evaluation III in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said, “An estimated 33 million Americans suffer from overactive bladder, which is uncomfortable, disrupting and potentially serious. Today’s approval provides a new treatment option for patients with this debilitating condition.”

The most common side effects observed in the trials were increased blood pressure, common cold-like symptoms (nasopharyngitis), urinary tract infection, constipation, fatigue, elevated heart rate (tachycardia), and abdominal pain. According to FDA, Myrbetriq is not recommended for use in those with severe uncontrolled high blood pressure, end-stage kidney disease or severe liver impairment.

We will keep our readers posted as and when this product becomes available in the UK. If you are suffering from bladder weakness or worried because of urination problems, Medical Specialists offers Tena for men, a protector which you can wear discreetly and get on with your day to day life. We also have Flomax, which can be taken if you are suffering from annoying bladder (pee) problems. Visit our embarrassing conditions page for further information.

Boehringer stops Female Viagra drug After FDA's Safety report

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH abandoned development of its female Viagra like drug “flibanserin” after the FDA said the pill wasn’t proven to be safe and effective enough to be given to the public.

Boehringer is still convinced flibanserin would have helped women, Chief Executive OfficerAndreas Barner said in an e- mailed statement today. “The decision was not made lightly, considering the advanced stage of development,” he said.

Flibanserin showed promise a year ago with late-stage test results indicating women who took it wanted -- and had -- more sex. Questions arose later about whether its effect was big enough to outweigh potential side effects, including depression, anxiety and fatigue. The FDA panel voted unanimously in June against backing the drug after a review.

The decision by Boehringer, based in the German town of Ingelheim, is the latest in a series of failures by drugmakers to influence women’s libidos. Pfizer Inc. abandoned efforts to adapt Viagra for women in 2004, while Procter & Gamble Co. failed to win regulators’ backing for a testosterone patch.

Libido drugs for women may create an annual market of at least $2 billion, BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. has estimated.

Boehringer, the world’s biggest family-owned drugmaker, had said flibanserin would drive growth as its prostate drug Flomax and Parkinson’s therapy Mirapex lose patent protection.

The drugmaker said it will still complete the two most advanced patient studies under way with flibanserin, while other research resources will be reallocated to stroke prevention, diabetes and oncology.

Prostate drug available without prescription in UK

A news drug to treat the urinary symptoms of prostate enlargement, previously available as a p.o.m, is to be sold over the counter in UK pharmacies to men aged 45 to 75 years from Wednesday.

The move is the latest example of Britain taking a lead in switching medicines off prescription in a drive to promote self care.

Flomax Relief, or tamsulosin hydrochloride, for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), will cost 16.99 pounds ($25.54) for a pack of 28 capsules lasting four weeks, maker Boehringer Ingelheim of Germany said.

It is the first time the medicine has been made available without prescription anywhere in the world.

The launch also represents a first in bringing a product for men's health into the over-the-counter (OTC) arena, although Pfizer (PFE.N) has been exploring a non-prescription version of its popular erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

The U.S. drugmaker piloted the sale of Viagra in selected pharmacies in the north of England in 2007, but was knocked back in 2008 in its attempt to get European approval for Viagra without prescription. Pfizer said at the time it still believed the drug met the guidelines for OTC status.