New information about prostate-specific antigen and the paradoxes of prostate cancer
Article Abstract:
New revelations support the validity of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test and aid understanding of the contradictory nature of prostate cancer. The PSA test measures blood levels of an enzyme secreted by prostate cells. Men with prostate cancer have elevated levels of this enzyme. Prostate cancer is a slow-growing, age-associated disease, yet it the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Localized prostate cancer is curable, although most men in the early stages of the disease do not have symptoms. Research published in 1995 reported that the PSA test is a highly specific, sensitive diagnostic tool for prostate cancer. Of 366 men who eventually developed prostate cancer, the PSA test would have diagnosed 91% of all cancers. Pending the outcome of cost-effectiveness studies, this research and other data support aggressive interventions to treat prostate cancer in men who have a life expectancy in excess of ten years.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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Occult prostate cancer in men with low serum testosterone levels
Article Abstract:
Prostate cancer in men with low testosterone levels may be difficult to detect and these men should be carefully screened before receiving testosterone replacement therapy. Researchers tested 77 men with low testosterone levels by measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and analyzing the prostate gland using needle biopsy. Fourteen percent of the men had prostate cancer overall and 29% of those over 60 had the disease. Men with prostate cancer had similar PSA levels as those without prostate cancer. Testosterone replacement therapy could stimulate the cancer.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1996
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Learning from the paradoxes of domestic violence
Article Abstract:
An interdisciplinary approach to domestic violence could reduce the impact of this serious social disorder. Between 8 million and 15 million Americans are affected by domestic violence at any one time and it is a major cause of injury and psychological problems. A 1997 study found that women who had been abused as children were more likely to have psychological problems and those still abused as adults had the highest risk of mental illness. Other studies have shown that women who end the relationship have the highest risk of being abused by a past partner.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1997
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