Prostate Cancer

Scientists have taken a major step toward identifying another gene associated with prostate cancer that runs in families. The finding, which represents a fourth site on human chromosomes that may trigger the hereditary form of the disease, could eventually lead to a screening test and early diagnosis, researchers said. "If a family knows they have a lot of prostate cancer, this is very exciting," said Elaine Ostrander, a geneticist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, who oversaw the study.

CHICAGO - A new study addresses one of the most worrying questions faced by men with prostate cancer: What's the risk of losing sexual function after treatment? The answers vary greatly by age, sexual potency before treatment, PSA levels, and whether a man has surgery, standard radiation, or radioactive seeds, the study found. Using the findings, men can get a rough idea of their odds by answering questions that also include weight and race, experts said. Unsurprisingly, older men whose sexual function is already low have the worst chances of good sexual function after treatment.

Technological advances are a major factor in rising U.S. health-care spending. Often, they lead to better care for patients. But now, nonprofit hospitals and private investors across the country are spending fortunes to build a wave of expensive, high-tech proton-beam cancer treatment centers before researchers have established that the treatment works better than cheaper alternatives for many types of cancer. Grassroots support for proton therapy is especially strong among victims of prostate cancer who say the treatment has spared them the nasty side effects of impotence and incontinence associated with surgery and other common treatments.

Compared with white men, African American men are 50 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer, and twice as likely to die from it. They also tend to develop it at younger ages. Like other cancer genetics researchers, Matthew Freedman figured at least part of the explanation for this disparity must lie in the DNA. After all, defective genes that increased breast-cancer risk had been isolated in women, so it was reasonable to assume the equivalent was at work in prostate cancer.

OMAHA, Neb. - Warren Buffett has been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer, he told his company's shareholders in an open letter Tuesday. The 81-year-old billionaire investor and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said his condition is "not remotely life-threatening" or debilitating. He said he and his doctors have decided on a two-month treatment plan that is to begin in mid-July. "I feel great - as if I were in my normal excellent health," Buffett said in the letter.

James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul" and a legend in rap, rock and funk, has announced that he has prostate cancer. In a statement released yesterday, Brown, 71, said that he will undergo surgery for the ailment on Dec. 15. "I have overcome a lot of things in my life. I will overcome this as well," Brown said. Brown, best known for seminal hits like "I Feel Good," "Please, Please, Please," and "Cold Sweat," is also a diabetic. Dubbed the hardest-working man in show business, he finished a two-week Canadian tour on Thursday night.

Former Kentucky and New Mexico State football coach Hal Mumme has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Mumme's agent, Russ Campbell, confirmed the diagnosis yesterday to the Associated Press. He said the prognosis is good because the illness was detected early. Mumme, 56, was head coach at Kentucky from 1997 to 2000 and his teams were 20-26. He left amid a recruiting scandal that led to the football program being sanctioned by the NCAA. He was fired by New Mexico State in December after a 4-year stint.

A new genetic test to gauge the aggressiveness of prostate cancer may help tens of thousands of men each year decide whether they need to treat their cancer right away or can safely monitor it. The new test, which goes on sale Wednesday, joins another one that recently came on the market. Both analyze multiple genes in a biopsy sample and give a score for aggressiveness, similar to tests used now for certain breast and colon cancers. Doctors say tests like these have the potential to curb a major problem in cancer care - overtreatment.

FATHER'S DAY U.S. Open Experience So, you didn't get him a ticket to Merion. Let him watch on the big screen, practice his putts and pick up some merch at this AmEx-sponsored outdoor event. It's practically the same thing, sorta. Independence Mall, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday, free, usopen.com. Gary Papa Run It's been four years since Philly lost this beloved sportscaster, but his memory lives on in this 11th-annual 5K run-walk (and 1-mile fun walk), which, as always, raises funds to promote awareness of prostate cancer.

For the last two years, family and friends have asked Anna Del Vecchio when she'll be moving from her trinity in Bella Vista. The answer is always the same. "I'm not going anywhere. Everything I need is here . . . my baker, the Ninth Street Market, and my bank is on the corner," says Del Vecchio, 75. She does readily concede, though, that she wanted nothing to do with the run-down shell that the property was when she first saw it. She was a young housewife with three preschool-age children in 1966, when her husband, Anthony Del Vecchio, said he had found a house for them.

A new genetic test to gauge the aggressiveness of prostate cancer may help tens of thousands of men each year decide whether they need to treat their cancer right away or can safely monitor it. The new test, which goes on sale Wednesday, joins another one that recently came on the market. Both analyze multiple genes in a biopsy sample and give a score for aggressiveness, similar to tests used now for certain breast and colon cancers. Doctors say tests like these have the potential to curb a major problem in cancer care - overtreatment.

THE MUSHROOM has yet to take center stage on the American plate, but it should. Its many varieties are full of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, calcium and selenium. They can help you lose weight (send me an email and I'll tell you more), boost your immune system and fight cancer! Here are five to try: 1WHITE Button, cremini and portobello mushrooms are pretty familiar to most of us, but you may not know that they help stabilize blood sugar and aid in weight loss. Their high level of selenium helps prevent prostate cancer.

Taliban storms Afghan outpost KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban militants stormed an Afghan army outpost on Friday, killing more than a dozen soldiers in an area that is a major infiltration route for insurgents crossing the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Taliban fighters are stepping up their attacks this spring, analysts say, as they try to position themselves for power ahead of national elections and the planned withdrawal of most U.S. and other foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

ALLENTOWN - The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are truly No. 1 when it comes to the adventurous new world of urinal gaming. The IronPigs have created a video game that has what they call the "only truly hands-free urinal game controller. " It doesn't take much to be a whiz at this game, which is featured in the men's restrooms at Coca-Cola Park. The new game likely won't hurt the sales of beverages, since the extra fluids will give the participants staying power. "These games are sure to make a huge splash," quipped IronPigs general manager Kurt Landes, who has labeled them "The X-Stream Games.

As if it weren't bad enough to lose your hair, a University of Pennsylvania researcher has added a medical reason to worry about what seems to be a cosmetic problem. She found a connection between baldness and prostate cancer in African American men. Other studies have examined whether bald men - mostly white bald men - are at higher risk. Some studies suggested a relationship, but the results are not clear-cut. Charnita Zeigler-Johnson, a Penn epidemiologist, decided to focus on African American men because they have a 50 to 60 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than white men and are twice as likely to die of it. The study compared 318 African American men with prostate cancer to 219 healthy African American controls.

NEW YORK - A huge international effort involving more than 100 institutions and genetic tests on 200,000 people has uncovered dozens of signposts in DNA that can help reveal further a person's risk for breast, ovarian, or prostate cancer, scientists reported Wednesday. It is the latest mega-collaboration to learn more about the intricate mechanisms that lead to cancer. And while the headway seems significant in many ways, the potential payoff for ordinary people is mostly this: Someday there may be genetic tests that help identify women with the most to gain from mammograms, and men who could benefit most from PSA tests and prostate biopsies.

Mitchell Wesley Melton, 69, a former Pennsylvania legislator and cofounder of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, died Monday, March 11, of prostate cancer at Nazareth Hospital. Mr. Melton lived in Chestnut Hill. Known to friends as "Mitch," Mr. Melton was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from the Philadelphia public schools, and earned a bachelor's and a master's degree in education by 1978 from Antioch University. Mr. Melton started out as an insurance agent, writ server, and Democratic committeeman, but he made his name when he was elected in 1968 to the state House of Representatives.

Q: Kimberly, who are the healthiest and longest-living people? - Inquiring Mind Wants to Know A: Well, according to the experts, we may live in the wealthiest nation in the world, but the healthiest and longest-living people are in Japan-Okinawa, to be exact. Okinawans have significantly lower incidence rates of heart disease, as well as breast, ovarian and prostate cancer when compared to Americans. They live healthily into their late 80s and 90s. Some experts link Okinawans' long life spans with their diets, rich in grains, fruits and fish.