New Therapy May Shrink Enlarged Prostate With Fewer Side Effects: Study

MONDAY, March 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new noninvasive procedure may bring long-term relief from symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, a new study suggests.

As men age, the prostate gland grows larger and may begin to press on the urethra. Enlarged prostate affects more than half of men by age 60 and causes symptoms such as frequent urination, weak urine stream and a persistent feeling of having to urinate.

Surgery is the standard treatment for the condition, but can cause complications such as sexual dysfunction and impotence, experts note.

The new treatment is called prostate artery embolization. "Prostate artery embolization is a promising therapy that has been performed outside the United States to improve men's symptoms," explained Dr. Man Hon, chief of interventional radiology at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y.

"This procedure works by closing the blood supply to the prostate," said Hon, who was not involved in the new study. "As a result, the prostate shrinks in size, causes less blockage, and the symptoms improve."

The study was conducted in Portugal and included nearly 500 men, aged 45 to 89, with enlarged prostate -- formally called benign prostatic hyperplasia -- who underwent prostate artery embolization.

Improvements in symptoms were reported by 87 percent of men three months after the procedure, 80 percent after 18 months, and 72 percent after three years. The procedure did not cause sexual dysfunction or impotence, according to the findings, which were slated for presentation on Monday at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), in San Diego.

"The results of prostate artery embolization (PAE) are similar to surgery but with fewer complications," study author Dr. Martins Pisco, director of radiology at Saint Louis Hospital in Lisbon, said in a meeting news release. "Patients are discharged three to six hours after the treatment with most of the individuals we've treated noting almost immediate symptom relief."

"I believe PAE could eventually become standard treatment for enlarged prostate," he added.

However, Dr. James Spies, president elect of SIR, stressed that further studies are needed before the procedure could become widely available. Also, studies presented at medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Another expert agreed that more study is needed. Dr. Manish Vira is director of the Fellowship Program in Urologic Oncology at The Arthur Smith Insitute for Urology in New Hyde Park, NY. He pointed out that the Portuguese study was not designed to compare the success rate of embolization to that of other treatments.

However, Vira added that "the results are especially significant given the very low complication rate and no incontinence. If these results are replicated in the ongoing U.S. trials, then prostate artery embolization will become an attractive treatment option" for men with enlarged prostate who have not responded well to other treatments.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2014 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Manish A. Vira, M.D, director, Fellowship Program in Urologic Oncology, The Arthur Smith Institute for Urology, New Hyde Park, NY; Man Hon, M.D, chief, interventional radiology, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY; Society of Interventional Radiology, annual meeting news release, March 24, 2014

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Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis Early May Cut Damaging Effects

SATURDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Immediate and effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis reduces the risk that patients will have joint damage and disability within a few years, a new study suggests.

The findings show the need for doctors to discourage patients from delaying treatment, according to the researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

"We need to educate people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about this. Some want to delay treatment because they are afraid. They haven't wrapped their heads around the fact that they have this disease, or they are reluctant to start taking medication. Some resort to non-medicinal approaches, many of which have limited effect," study lead investigator and rheumatologist Dr. Vivian Bykerk said in a hospital news release.

"Unfortunately, I have seen too many people delay effective treatment approaches and they come back a year later very disappointed, often with joint damage that could have been prevented. The longer you have inflammation in the joints, the more likely you are to have joint damage, and it is going to impact how you function down the road," she added.

The study included 833 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis -- defined as having symptoms for a year or less. Six months into the study, the patients were classified as having achieved low disease activity or not. Low disease activity means that joint pain, swelling and other signs of inflammation are significantly reduced.

The 56 percent of patients who achieved low disease activity at six months were much less likely to have joint damage and disability at two years, according to the findings to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals in San Diego.

"We believe there is a window in which people have a much better chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis under good control, often with less intense therapy, and the window is within the first three months of developing joint inflammation," Bykerk said.

These findings show the need for doctors to warn patients about the hazards of delaying therapy and to follow patients more often in the early stages of treatment, she added.

Research presented at medical meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Hospital for Special Surgery, news release, Oct. 26, 2013

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Worm trap tests brain cell activity to reveal drug effects

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