Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate, is an extremely common condition in older men - much more common, in fact, than prostate cancer. It is also a very common cause of an elevated PSA level. Basically, it is a benign (non-cancerous) multiplication of prostate cells that results in an overall larger prostate gland.

While BPH is benign and will not spread to other areas of the body, it can cause some significant problems if not cared for properly. If BPH is ignored, the prostate can become large enough that an obstruction of the urinary tract develops. Urinary obstructions can lead to urinary tract infections, kidney problems (such as scarring or even failure), and a host of other issues.

If you're having urinary symptoms, have had an abnormal digital rectal exam, or have an elevated PSA, it is important to see a doctor so that your underlying condition, whether BPH, prostate cancer, or something else, can be approriately treated.

Researchers from the University of Michigan have discovered that some genes found in prostate cancer cells may inappropriately fuse to one another. Gene fusions have been found in other cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia, but this is the first report of these in prostate cancer.

The researchers are not sure as to whether or not these fused genes actually fuel prostate cancer development, but, in other cancers, gene fusions have been suspected as possible promoters of cancer growth. If gene fusions are found to play in part in prostate cancer growth, then they could become potential targets for new therapies or possibly as markers for earlier diagnosis.

This study is set to be published in the jounral Nature.

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For the first time in four years, the FDA has approved a new prostate cancer drug for use in the United States. The new drug, degarelix, works similarly to some currently available drugs by blocking the effects of testosterone throughout the body.

The currently available drugs when first used, however, are known to cause a brief increase in testosterone levels before resulting in lower levels later on. Degarelix, has been shown not to cause this initial increase in testosterone.

With FDA approval secured, degarelix should be made widely available in the near future.

A huge study that sought to determine whether taking vitamin E and selenium supplements would prevent prostate cancer has recently published its results.

The study showed that men who took daily supplements of vitamin E, selenium, or both did not have lower rates of prostate cancer than men who did not take these supplements.

This study, known as the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT Trial), was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and involved 35,000 men who were studied over a number of years. The trial was initiated because a number of smaller, less tightly regulated studies in the past had shown an association between vitamin E and selenium supplementation and lower rates of prostate cancer.

Unfortunately, judging by the results of this study, the prostate cancer prevention benefits that many had thought were present in vitamin E and selenium seem not to exist.

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