According to the results of recent clinical trial involving more than 400 men with localized prostate cancer — cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate— a new treatment can destroy cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue. Called vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP), this treatment also reduces the need for radiation therapy and removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy)—prostate cancer therapies that typically cause a number of adverse side effects.

In VTP, a light-sensitive drug is injected into the bloodstream. When activated using a laser, the drug releases free radicals that destroy prostate cancer cells. For the recent study, 206 men with early prostate cancer received VTP and 207 men continued with active surveillance—regular monitoring with medical exams and tests.

After 2 years, 49 percent of men treated with VTP were in complete remission, compared to 13.5 percent of men who received active surveillance. In addition, men treated with VTP were less likely to need radical therapy—6 percent compared to 30 percent—and were three times less likely to experience cancer progression. Some men treated with VTP experienced urinary and erectile side effects—but they resolved within 3 months of starting treatment.

According to researchers, it will be several years before this treatment is widely available. The hope is that VTP will be effective against other types of cancer as well.

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Sourced from Medical News Today.

Heart disease—the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)—is often diagnosed with blood pressure and cholesterol tests. Now researchers say there may be a better way to assess heart risk.

An inexpensive blood test can be used to detect heart disease in people who appear to be healthy. The blood test, called troponin, measures proteins that are released when heart muscle is damaged. This test is already used to help diagnose heart attack in some patients.

In a recent study, researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation looked at 3,300 men with high cholesterol but no history of heart disease. They found that men with high blood levels of troponin were more likely to have a heart attack or die of heart disease within 15 years. Preventive treatment—cholesterol-lowering statin therapy, for example—lowered troponin levels and heart attack risk in a number of men in the study. More research—in women, for example—is needed.

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Sourced from BBC News.

A new study challenges guidelines that call for prolonged rest after a concussion, showing instead that engaging in physical activity within seven days reduces the risk for persistent symptoms. The study involved 2,413 kids and teens in nine different hospitals. It was performed by the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) Concussion Team and was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

According to researchers, 28.7 percent of study participants who engaged in physical activity within a week of sustaining a concussion suffered from persistent post-concussive syndrome (PPCS) a month later, while 40.1 percent of those who remained inactive for a week after concussion experienced PPCS. Symptoms of PPCS include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Additional research is to begin in 2017 to determine the level and timing of physical activity after concussion that provides the best rehabilitation and outcome. The goal is to improve concussion guidelines and recommendations. Researchers caution that engaging in physical activity is not the same as a “full return to play.” During the concussion recovery period, it is extremely important to avoid additional impact to the head.

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Sourced from Medpage Today.