Since professional cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996, many men have wondered about the connection between cycling and testicular cancer, as well as prostate cancer. While a number of studies have looked into a link between the sport and cancer, the findings to date are inconclusive, says Mark Pomerantz, MD. “This … Read more
By Carl Nickerson Recently I was getting out of my car in front of a Latin restaurant when a man stopped me. I had been interviewed a few days before during the WEEI-NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon about my experience with testicular cancer, and featured in Boston’s Latino newspaper, El Mundo, about the importance of testicular … Read more
Penile cancer is a rare disease, affecting just 1 in 100,000 men in North American and Europe, in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the penis. While not common in the United States, it can account for up to 10 percent of male cancers in parts of Asia, South America, and Africa. Here are … Read more
Men who notice a testicle lump, heaviness, or pain in the testicle are often not convinced to see a doctor until a partner insists, but men should take note of changes in the testicles, according to Mark Pomerantz, MD, a medical oncologist in the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center. “Unlike with breast … Read more
In prostate cancer – the most common cancer in men aside from skin cancer – scientists are working to answer some of the most basic questions about the disease while developing an array of new treatments. Using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, doctors are often able to detect prostate cancer at an early stage. … Read more
Though quite curable when diagnosed early, kidney cancer in advanced stages can become a stubborn disease. However, the outlook for patients with metastatic kidney cancer has brightened in the past several years. Oncologists have added to their arsenal a number of designer drugs that attack molecular targets – genetic abnormalities that drive tumors – with … Read more
For about 70 years, the standard treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer was drugs that blocked male hormones feeding the tumor. If that stopped working and the disease progressed, oncologists turned to chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells. This timetable is about to change. Results of a clinical trial led by a Dana-Farber researcher … Read more
By Mark Pomerantz, MD There has been some uncertainty surrounding this question, but recent studies have demonstrated that having a vasectomy has no effect on the risk of prostate or testicular cancer. Older data – from studies tracking disease rates across broad population groups – suggested a modest connection, while other studies found no such … Read more
Millions of men each year have their blood tested to determine their levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a normal protein. Levels may be elevated in men with prostate cancer or other benign diseases of the prostate. However, experts have disagreed on who should be tested, when, and how frequently. Some are concerned about whether … Read more
By Jim Donovan In 2002 my good friend died of cancer. He and I were at MIT together as undergraduates, where we shared a lot of great memories and developed a long-lasting friendship. Like most of us who walk with a loved one through a life-threatening disease, I experienced feelings of anger, sadness, and fear. … Read more
This post was originally published in December 2012. When it comes to treating prostate cancer, proton radiotherapy (PRT) is no better than traditional intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), according to a new study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on Friday. PRT is an advanced but expensive treatment option for some prostate cancer … Read more
What age is appropriate to get screened for prostate cancer and begin treatment? Recent news surrounding Warren Buffett’s diagnosis, including a report on Boston.com, has some asking if age should factor into these decisions. Dr. Philip Kantoff, chief of the Division of Solid tumor at Dana-Farber and director of Dana-Farber’s Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, speaks … Read more
就像高血压没有一个放之四海而皆准的数值那样，所以我们在拿到PSA数值的时候需要整合其它因素，来最终确定这个数值是否真的偏高。 PSA的全称为前列腺特异性抗原（prostate specificantigen），是一种与前列腺癌（prostate cancer）有关的抗原。PSA测试就是确定男性血液中蛋白质的含量。超过4.0的评分会被认为异常（每毫升的血液中有超过4纳克的蛋白质）。但是随着医生们在判定患者是否患有严重的前列腺癌的方面更加纯熟，他们对PSA数值的解读也更加细致入微。 现在，更多的医生会整合患者年龄、种族、以及前列腺体的大小等这些会影响PSA的因素，来一起综合分析PSA。其它如PSA随时间的推移而升高的速度，或者PSA蛋白在血液中是否还与其它蛋白质关联等因素也会纳入考量。 诸多非癌症因素也会影响PSA的测试结果。比如前列腺是否发炎、肿大或者感染。这些因素都有可能提高PSA值。一些用于治疗前列腺增大和泌尿疾病的药物也可以降低PSA值，同时有同样作用的还有某些化疗药物。 综上所述，现在，医生都会更准确地判断哪一些患者更适合做更深层的检测来确定前列腺癌，比如前列腺活体切片检查（biopsy）。 医学博士Rana McKay（Rana McKay, MD）说：“目前，很多医生在判断患者是否需要进一步做前列腺活体切片来诊断前列腺癌时，前列腺特定抗原（PSA）是诸多考量的因素之一。在进行PSA检测以前，跟医生进行沟通，探讨个人患前列腺癌的可能性，以及确认PSA会给您带来的风险和好处，都是十分重要的” 。McKay博士原是丹娜—法伯/布莱根和妇女医院癌症中心—泌尿生殖癌症治疗中心（the Genitourinary Cancer Treatment Center at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center）的一名医生。 转载须知 阁下若有媒体联络需求，敬请致电617-632-4090，请阁下指明与媒体团队洽谈；或请发邮件至media@dfci.harvard.edu。阁下如欲转载本文，请发邮件至kun_ma@dfci.harvard.edu，未经授权禁止转载，感谢合作。
膀胱癌（bladder cancer）只占美国癌症新发病例的5％ – 比例不大 – 但考虑到它是男性中第四大常见癌症，了解这种疾病的症状和体征还是十分重要的。 膀胱癌最常见的征兆是尿液中有血，也称为血尿（hematuria）。有的时候足够的血会将尿液变成粉色、橙色或红色；但在多数情况下，尿液看起来是正常的，患者在做定期体检的时候因为其他症状而做尿检，从而检测到尿中的血液。 膀胱癌的症状还可能包括排尿的变化，例如： 更频繁地排尿 排尿时疼痛 膀胱未满却有需要排尿的感觉 排尿困难 这些症状通常指向其它相对不太严重的病症，比如感染、肾结石或膀胱结石、或者膀胱或肾脏的其ta良性病症。但是如果您出现这些症状，请务必去看医生以确定病因并且治疗。 膀胱癌通常可以在早期阶段被发现，此时通过接种细菌卡介苗（Bacillus Calmette-Guerin，BCG）的免疫疗法（immunotherapy）治疗成功率很高。在这种情况下，首先将癌细胞从膀胱壁上移除， 然后用BCG溶液将膀胱充满，从而摧毁癌细胞并且有效地防止癌症复发的扩散。 如果癌症在被诊断之前已经发展并扩散到身体的其他部位，您可能会出现包括腰痛、食欲不振、体重减轻、疲劳、骨痛和脚部肿胀等症状。 晚期膀胱癌的传统治疗方式包括化疗和临床试验，以及偶尔的手术或放射治疗。然而，丹娜—法伯的研究人员最近发现，在化疗后病情恶化的转移性膀胱癌患者中，免疫治疗法取得了成功。 点击此处了解丹娜—法伯兰科泌尿生殖癌症中心（ Lank Center for Genitourinary Cancer）诊断和治疗膀胱癌的信息。 转载须知 阁下若有媒体联络需求，敬请致电617-632-4090，请阁下指明与媒体团队洽谈；或请发邮件至media@dfci.harvard.edu。阁下如欲转载本文，请发邮件至kun_ma@dfci.harvard.edu，未经授权禁止转载，感谢合作。
Researchers are confident that the potential of checkpoint inhibitors has only begun to be tapped.
Just as there is no one-size-fits-all number for high blood pressure, a variety of factors can influence whether a man’s PSA score is considered above normal. PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a protein that’s often associated with prostate cancer. A PSA test measures the level of the protein in a man’s blood. A score of … Read more
Since 1980, more than 88,000 cyclists have taken to Massachusetts’ roads for the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) to raise funds for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber. Among the riders are many patients, their family members, and their doctors. Christopher Sweeney, MBBS, medical oncologist in Dana-Farber’s Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, is one of them. … Read more
The majority of people are born with two kidneys, which are located on each side of the spine below the ribcage. They filter blood and make urine, and also produce hormones that regulate blood pressure, generate red blood cells, and help maintain strong and healthy bones. Pediatric kidney (renal) tumors occur when malignant (cancer) cells … Read more
Dana-Farber’s Toni Choueiri, MD, will participate in his first Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) bike-a-thon in August. “Considering his dedication to me and his other patients, I am not surprised that he is riding in the PMC and raising money to develop new treatments for people with my type of kidney cancer,” says a former patient of Choueiri’s.