MIAMI – A study by researchers at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is revealing a way of improving outcomes for patients with recurring prostate cancer.
The international trial led by Dr. Alan Pollack, Professor of Oncology with the University of Miami-Miller based center, examined the potential benefit of a three-pronged approach.
It involved radiating not just the prostate bed, but also the pelvic region as well as adding hormone therapy.
”With each intensified treatment there was a gain in preventing cancer from coming back and reducing the risk of spreading the cancer beyond the pelvic area which is where radiation was given,” Pollack said.
The trial involved more than 1,700 men who had high prostate-specific antigen, or P.S.A., numbers even after having their prostate removed.
P.S.A. is an indicator of prostate cancer.
Pollack said 50% of men see their cancer return even after prostatectomy, which underscores the importance of effectively treating these patients.
The Eyes Have It
Researchers at the University of Utah have been able to restore light-sensing neuron cells in donor eyes and actually make them communicate with each other the way they do in a living eye.
The authors said past studies have restored limited electrical activity in organ donor eyes but never to the extent demonstrated in this study, which was recently published in the scientific journal “Nature.”
The team used the retina as a model of the central nervous system to see how neurons die and how to revive them.
The process demonstrated by the team could be used to develop a better understanding of neurodegenerative disease-inducing blinding conditions such as age-related macular degeneration.