Evidence keeps growing that to cure cancer, you must kill off the cancer stem cell. For the last 30-40 years, cancer treatment has focused on just the cancer cell, and not the cancer stem cell. This is like killing the weed plant you see above ground and leaving the root behind. The root will regrow the weed, just like the cancer stem cell will regrow the cancer cells.

Now, Tykerb has been shown to kill off breast cancer stem cells in some types of breast cancer, Parthenolide/DMAPT kills AML (leukemia) stem cells and other cancer stem cells, GRN163L kills myeloma stem cells. Cyclopamine and the new water soluble version kill prostate cancer stem cells and myeloma stem cells. Clinical trials to start soon. So, will this finally lead to some cancer cures? I await the evidence.|||Very interesting. But if you have terminal cancer and are out of options are you going to wait years for the trials to be completed. You would likely try something that is available now.

I TRIED THIS AND IT WORKED.

http://www.geocities.com/cure.cancer/how…|||sure hope the cures are found soon.|||This is a controversial idea. There is evidence for and against the idea of a cancer stem cell.

What prompted this theory is that they implanted cancer cells into mice to get them to grow cancers. However, sometimes cancers never developed. They then looked at individual cancer cells and found only a small percentage of cancer cells would divide and produce other cancer cells.

However, some researchers say that there may be a subset of cancer cells that divide, but it is not because they are %26#039;stem cells%26#039;. For example, they are not true stem cells because they don%26#039;t have markers commonly associated with stem cells.

I think the truth lies somewhere in between. There are probably progenitor cancer cells that are active, but they aren%26#039;t true stem cells.

It%26#039;s an interesting theory that is still being worked out. We all await the evidence.|||hope it leads to something …..here is a cancer research group trying to find a cure……http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/

i would like to make it clear, before i begin, that this is not a MEN VS WOMEN post, but simply a lack of understanding for this behavior on my part.

Why does breast cancer receive many times more funding that prostate cancer, when prostate cancer kills more every year than breast cancer? is it because breast cancer has more commercials and advertising?

Help me to understand|||its because breast cancer has a movement behind it that prostate cancer does not. I personally am pretty sick of the money being made off of %26quot;breast cancer awareness%26quot; that only goes right back into the advertisers pocket and the fact that it has become a %26quot;fad%26quot;|||First, it%26#039;s simply not true that prostate cancer kills more every year than breast cancer. Breast cancer is also more deadly and has a lower five-year survival rate than prostate cancer.

And…how%26#039;s this: men get breast cancer too, and die from it.

** Edit:

Deaths from breast cancer: http://wrongdiagnosis.com/b/breast_cance…

Deaths from prostate cancer:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/p/prostate…|||Its in the marketing and advertising of the fund raising campains you see more for breast cancer than prostate cancer. so yes also the support organizations are more recognized for breast cancer.|||Actually, prostate cancer kills less men every year than breast cancer kills women. Lung cancer kills both men and women at a much higher rate than both breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. So why do we hear more about breast cancer? Well I%26#039;m not exactly sure. But I can tell you it%26#039;s not some vast female conspiracy to point and laugh at those men suffering from prostate cancer, as it seems you are implying.

Edit: These stats are from the American Cancer Society:

Cancer Death in the US in 2002:

Lung cancer - 161,400

Colon cancer - 48,100

Breast cancer - 40,000

Prostate cancer - 30,200|||First hit on breast cancer

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

1991 - Founded

Second hit:

The Susan G. Komen Foundation

Founded in 1982

First hit on prostate cancer foundation:

http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/…

Founded in 1993, the PCF has raised more than $300 million and provided funding to more than 1,400 researchers at nearly 200 institutions worldwide.

Clearly, there is more private funding for breast cancer, primarily due to the Komen Foundation. It%26#039;s approach from a personal loss perspective tugs at heartstrings…and having been established 10 years longer than the Prostate Cancer Foundation, it has had many more opportunities for publicity.

If someone created a similar foundation for prostate cancer awareness and research, using that personal loss angle, I%26#039;m sure you would see an increase in awareness and the dollars would follow.|||I don%26#039;t know, but my father had breast cancer. It%26#039;s very rare in males but the doctor discovered it when he went in for back pain. I don%26#039;t know why it wouldn%26#039;t get as much funding than breast cancer, it doesn%26#039;t make sense to me. I think every type of cancer should get some funding. Alot of people die from adult Leukeumia too…things like all of the above should get equal funding.|||Dont know the answer. http://cancer-treatment-education.blogsp…

Hi, I´m a virgin, I´m 14, I´m a guy, and normaly my semen is white like normal, but one time it was yellowish, I looked it up and it said it could be a prostate infection!. Could it be prostate cancer? I also drink alot of water, but please some one help me, and give me some honest answers, some true answers please!?|||I have had prostate problems on and off since I was 17 — and that%26#039;s a LONG time. It is NOT a STD, so being a virgin has nothing to do with it. The color of your sperm can change when there is a heavy concentration of bacteria present. It is VERY unlikely that you have prostrate cancer at your age. Suggest you see your family doctor.|||If it was just yellow the one time, I would not worry.

If you eat a lot of carrots, the pigment in them, beta carrotene, can get into your semen and color it.

I doubt you have prostate cancer, either.

But ask your doc when next you see him. If other symptoms show up, then ask him sooner.|||About 18 months ago, I had similar symptoms ie. yellow semen, but I was stupid and I didn%26#039;t think anything of it until it got painful and I was discharging yellowish stuff constantly, I couldn%26#039;t pee properly and to be totally honest the discharge stank too !

I went to the doctor eventually and he diagnosed a prostate infection in about 2 minutes, he didn%26#039;t ven have to do a rectal exam, he prescribed anti-biotic and all was well within about 4 days.

My advice would be to go along and see your doctor and get it checked out sooner rather than later, it%26#039;s nothing to be embarrassed about, it%26#039;s just one of those things that happens.

Most of us guys don%26#039;t go and see a medical professional when we should but I certainly learnt my lesson from that experience and will now quite happily see my doctor about any kind of %26#039;mens problems%26#039;.

Good luck !|||Sounds like an infection. You cannot die but you will wish you had if it gets into the rest of your urinary tract. Get an appointment with a urologist and they can give you the proper meds to cure it. There is NO over the counter meds that will work.|||No its not infection son. You are fine. You will find it will return to the normal color. Men will go through periods where their ejaculate will be different in colors. Good Luck!

I went to urinate and it started and lasted about 10 seconds, i never felt any pain in that area before. Im worried bc i know that i have a family history of prostate cancer. Im only 18 though….everybody that had it started it when they were like 40. I hear that masturbating reduces your risk of prostate cancer….and i bust a nut ever other day(something that my fore fathers never did..cultural reasons). What the hell is going on? I havent been drinking enough water i know that for sure. Maybe its just lack of water in my kidneys?|||wouldn%26#039;t hurt to get it checked out.|||sit on a basin with cold water for 10 min and then hange the water into hot that just enough for you to sit for another 10 min. when you masturbate dont pull your balls away|||Go to doctor ang get a PSA test to start a base line for the future.

My dad was diagnosed a few months ago with prostate cancer. They%26#039;ve been treating him with some anti-testosterone shot and it seems to be working. His blood work shows an dramatic improvement in the 3-4 months since that started. But, he was told that although it hadn%26#039;t spread to any of his organs that it had %26quot;affected his bones.%26quot; He%26#039;s been having a lot of difficulty and pain that has gotten worse and is going to see an oncologist in a week and a half. He isn%26#039;t sure that he has bone cancer, but he%26#039;s pretty sure that was what the doctor meant.

So, while I know that the prognosis for prostate cancer is quite good and that there is an excellent recovery rate for that I know very little about bone cancer. I have the impression that it is much more serious. Is it a pretty fatal disease? How treatable is it???|||have you ever heard of mastasis well it means the cancer has gone to a certain part of the body. I dont know your dad but god does I will pray for him.

Just wait til you see the dr.|||Bone cancer just keeps spreading. I urge you to read up on an herbal combination called %26quot;Essiac%26quot; that, according to many websites, have cured people of their cancer. The use of herbs once was mainstream medicine but, because there is no great profit to be made from these unpatentable wonder drugs, they have lost their status as mainstream therapies.

Please don%26#039;t think this is a bunch of malarky. You owe it to your dad and your family to at least read about it.

http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/HPI/Unconventi…

http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=10%26amp;i=3

http://www.healthfreedom.info/Cancer%20E…

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/ca…

http://www.medical-library.net/sites/fra…

http://www.alternative-cancer.net/?hop=0|||talking about cancers,well we all knew that it is a number one man killer disease,so it means it is so bad because a man having this kind of disease will really suffer.|||If the oncologist knew that the cancer had affected his bones, then I will assume that he can run the same tests again and see if there is any change in the bones. Yes, I would consider bone cancer more difficult in general then prostate cancer, but you are not really worried about in general, you are worried about your dad. General answers may not apply.

Will your dad let you go with him to the doctors visit? It is sometimes better if two people hear what the doctor says and have a chance to ask questions, rather then ask your dad for answers that he didn%26#039;t ask for. Good luck.|||my mom had small cell lung cancer that metastized and spread to her bones. She passed away about a year ago. There was nothing that could be done for her, she was completely cover from head to toe. Good luck, and i%26#039;m sorry to hear.|||My husband was treated with radiation it helped with the pain. His cancer was everywhere. The radiation shrunk the tumor on his spine but it is very hard on bone marrow Good luck and God Bless

I%26#039;m really afraid of cancer because I watched my grandpa slowly and painfully die from it. I believe he had prostate cancer.

I was doing some research on cancers and learning how to prevent it and learned that pancreatic cancer is usualy always caught in a late stage and is untreatable. Are there any ways I can prevent pancreatic cancer, or any cancer for that fact, and some signs and symptoms of early stage? Also, how are some ways to get checked for it?

I don%26#039;t smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or do any drugs. I have a mixed diet of high-fat foods and I eat fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods too. I am not overweight and I%26#039;m not sure if I have diabetes. Can smoking a few cigarettes and then stopping give you the same chance of getting cancer as someone who smokes all the time for years?|||As someone who also suffers with anxiety I can tell you right now that this is the old hyperchondria/paranoia rearing its head.

You need to get your panic issues sorted out, or you%26#039;ll work your way through every illness/disease there is, convincing yourself you have it. I did.

Stomach pains, nausea, weakness - all things that panic can cause. Go to a doctor, and not to find out if you have pancreatic cancer - to get some anti-anxiety meds and find out where you can get counselling, because you need it.

I know you came on here wanting to find out about pancreatic cancer, but believe me I totally recognise your train of thought. You%26#039;re 14 and you%26#039;re no more at risk from any form of cancer than anyone else. Smoking a few cigarettes does not give you anywhere near the same chance of getting cancer as proper addicts.

Just put all worries about cancer and the like out your head, and start tackling this anxiety problem, because it%26#039;s the only problem you have here, but it%26#039;s big enough to take over your life.

You don%26#039;t have pancreatic cancer, and you%26#039;re not going to get it. You do have a big anxiety problem.

Chalice

EDIT: One last important tip: DO NOT research illnesses. All that will happen is you%26#039;ll convince yourself you%26#039;ve got them all. Don%26#039;t read anything about any illnesses at all. If you%26#039;re ever concerned about your health, go to a doctor for some rational advice, do not start scaring yourself.|||if you think that you may have a serious problem like this then you should take a visit to your doctor!! Instead of asking perfect strangers!!

If you are really worried then maybe the doctor can ease your stress or give you some anxiety medication!!|||PLEASE see your doctor. No one here can even begin to diagnose whatever it is that is causing your symptoms.|||You do not have pancreatic cancer.

You are not likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

Besides not smoking and living a healthy lifestyle there is little you can do to prevent pancreatic cancer or most other cancers.

I think that your grandfather%26#039;s death greatly affected you and has led you to read about things that are causing you a great deal of worry. It is not normal for a 14 year old to worry about pancreatic cancer.

You show a great amount of insight as far as the true nature of the underlying problem - anxiety. I would strongly suggest showing your parents your question and then ask to see your pediatrician for a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist who can help you. Do this today - the sooner you get treatment the sooner you will feel better. If you let this problem go and do not do anything about it it will be much harder to deal with in the future.|||pancreatic cancer is usually an older person disease not to say you can get it. It%26#039;s just rare in someone who is young and in good health. You should get annual physical from your doctor. Don%26#039;t smoke, drink, or do drugs. Eat health like you do and the rest is up to God.

Pancreantitis you have severe abdominal pain nausea, vomiting, fever. You would feel so bad you would go to the hospital|||You should really talk your fear over with your parents. No one here can tell you not to be concerned. Pancreatic cancer happens to be one of the diseases that can %26#039;run in families%26#039;. It can be genetic. So it is very important to be aware.

Ten percent of pancreatic cancers are hereditary. Your family could possibily check with The National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry to see if family members are at risk.

The National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry

http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/PartNF…

You see . . you are not being paranoid at all . . this is a real fear, but you can control it by educating yourself. The more you know the less anxious you will be. Talk to your parents as this could affect them also.

Stay strong. And, no, I do not think at this moment you have pancreatic cancer.

So my father, 50 years old, is having a biopsy to check for prostate cancer or related issues. He wants to know whether it%26#039;s a big deal and he has to take the day off the next day from work or if it%26#039;s just a go in and go out procedure and there is no pain afterward?|||I%26#039;ve had two needle biopsies and they don%26#039;t hurt. You get a hospital gown on, lie on a couch with your rear end bare, draw your knees up to your chest and relax. The doctor will insert a well lubricated probe and then inject through the rectum into the prostate to freeze it. I had an 8 and six months later a 12 needle biopsy and the worst thing is hearing the click as each sample is taken. It sounds petrifying, but believe me, it doesn%26#039;t hurt. You get a cup of tea afterwards, go for a pee and that%26#039;s it, you can go. Take the rest of the day off. Don%26#039;t lift anything heavy. Probably blood in the pee but no other symptoms or pain. It%26#039;s a simple and painless procedure. If you want to know more, contact me - alderneyjim@yahoo.co.uk I%26#039;ve had biopsies and brachytherapy to destroy the cancer. It%26#039;s working. I know it sounds agonising, probes, needles through the rectum into the prostate, needles chopping chunks out etc etc. It%26#039;s a very simple and as I%26#039;ve said, painless, procedure. Go for it. Don%26#039;t forget, I%26#039;m here to answer any questions and I%26#039;ll tell you from actual experience. No bull, the truth. Good luck to your dad.|||I would expect some discomfort as they will be entering from the exit.

To my knowledge they usually do not do biopsy as a general exam unless the person has experienced some problems.

Best of luck to your father.|||they just get a little bit of their prostate gland to check cancer…but i think its not that big of a deal cuz the doctor kind just sticks his finger up the anus to check|||There will probably be some pain afterward, but your dad can just ask the doctor about what pain killers to take for a couple days after the procedure. He should also ask his doctor if he suggests taking the next day off from work; it depends on how well his discomfort is managed and tolerated. Note: he will be given anesthetic before the procedure begins, so the biopsy shouldn%26#039;t hurt too bad.

Your dad also will probably have blood in his urine or coming from where the biopsy needles were poked in for a few days after the procedure.

My mother had cancer, her two sisters had breast cancer, their father, my grandfather had tumors which was probably cancer, and my dad had prostate cancer?? I don%26#039;t know about any one on my dads side of the family because I don%26#039;t speak to them, but what do you think my chances of cancer are?? I%26#039;ve already asked Dr%26#039;s to see if they can run some tests to check for some early signs because of my family history, all they tell me to do is call if I find a lump in my breast?! Are there any other signs I should be looking for??|||All you can do is live a healthy life and get regular checkups. Depending on your age, you might want to get a mammogram. Most people get their first one around age 30.|||Yes,

Nipple inversion

Discharge from the breast that isn%26#039;t milky in nature

Peau d%26#039;orange, or the dimpling of the skin of the breast.

Any bumps and lumps that weren%26#039;t there the previous month, and are not on both sides.

You can have blood work run for some types of cancer…. but not usually breast cancer.

Ca-125, etc… can be run.|||Go to another doctor. There are tests they can do.

I would say that you are at risk for cancer, as I am because of my family history. Don%26#039;t stress about it. You might want to start mamograms around 30 years old, about 10 years younger than someone with a lower risk.

As long as you get checked and catch cancer early, your chances of beating it are good.|||the warning signs of cancer spell out caution

c- change in bowel or bladder habbits

a- a sore that does not heal

u- unusual bleeding or discharge

t- thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere

i- indigestion or dysphagia

o- obvious change in wart or mole

n- nagging cough or hoarseness

hope this helps|||There are other signs, and it is very surprising that they didn%26#039;t tell you about them. The two responses before this outline some very good indicators. Others are unexplained weight loss, cramping and vague abdominal discomfort — more like pressure than pain. You should also be having pap smears, to check for uterine and ovarian cancer. You don%26#039;t say what kind of cancer your mother had, but it does seem very common in your family.

Just a suggestion, but why not go to a cancer clinic and ask them for some literature on how to detect the various types of cancer.

That said, it%26#039;s important that you don%26#039;t obsess about this. You are right to be concerned, but don%26#039;t let it take over your life. There have been wonderful strides made in cancer detection and treatment since your mother and your aunts had the disease. And they are making exciting new discoveries every day.

Cancer was once an almost automatic death sentence, but today it is not and for some types of cancers the cure rate is 80%. The critical factor is early detection, so go to the experts and find out what to watch for, then get on with your life.

Good luck to you!|||please contact me at itallybound2fresh@yahoo.com

iam hear only by the grace of god…ovarian cancer a lump the size of a large goose egg..10 lumps diag. caner in my left breast and 21 in my right all clusters looking like champaine grapes my father 50 days ago died of blood cancer and now they found i have it too… yes there are signs…too many of them to list them all depending on you…|||Get a new doctor because yours is living in the Stone age. There are tests to screen for certain types of cancer. Breast cancer screening is one of the tests that should be done because of the high incidence of cancer in your family. Your risk of cancer increases when close family relatives have been diagnosed with cancer.|||Yes, there is genetic testing for breast cancer that can be done. Most insurance companies pay for it, but mine will not. It is called BRCA 1 %26amp; BRCA 2, and with your family history I would hope your insurance would cover it. I do know it is expensive though….about $3000. Yikes. Good luck!

Additional info added……

By the way, I have seen some posts about getting your bloodwork tested for what I think people are refering to tumor markers. And yes, some oncologists use them, but many now just use them to see if chemo is working, not to diagnos cancer. And the reason is this, tumor markers go up and down for many reasons, not just because of cancer. I know because this happened to me with my first oncologist. She believed that my cancer had returned after chemo based on my tumor markers, PET scan and CT scan, no biopsies. She wanted me to start chemo again and gave me a number as far as how long I would live. I went to Mayo for a second opinion, they did a biopsy and….it was NOT cancer, it was an inflamatory disease called Sarcoidosis. Within two months my numbers and scans were back to normal.

Anyway, you need to switch doctors. At the very least they should be doing a baseline mamogram. Oh, BTW, I was 29 years old when I was diagnosed and 8 months pregnant, with no family history (that I know of).|||I had breast cancer at 43. My daughter went to her doctor and he had her go for a mammogram so that later they will have one to compare with. Good advice given on all answers. I would see if you can get tested..Find out what kind of breast cancer your mom and aunts had and tell your doctor. Hope you NEVER EVER get cancer. Heres to good health.|||You can go to the doctor yearly for blood tests that will detect the cancer antigen. If you let your doctor know what types of cancer have been in your family, they should be able to let you know what tests they can run to see if you are a carrier of that same antigen. For example, in Ovarian Cancer they check the CA-125 level. It is the Cancer Antigen that is used to determine if ovarian cancer is present. If it is there is a rise in that number. Normal for ovarian cancer is 35 and under. For different types of cancer there are different antigens that they can check. You can do lump checks and all of that, but it%26#039;s not fool proof because cancer can show up and not be detected early enough through feeling for lumps. Blood tests are a great way of early detection or detection period. Hope this helps!|||I am very sorry to read about the history of cancer in your family. Cancer is not hereditary in the real sense of that word, but predispositions tend to run in the family.

There is, however, no need for you to panic, as there are several rules on how to avoid cancer.

These include:

1. Keeping your body clear of toxins - eat only clean and fresh food, avoid artificial additives and food which is highly acidic. In particular aflatoxin b is a well recognised carcinogen, and needs to be avoided at all cost. You find it in the soft decaying parts of fruit and vegetables and it is not enough to just cut that piece out, aflatoxin b is like the cancer itself, it is spread throughout the entire fruit or vegetable, and it needs to be discarded. Also be careful of certain nuts, brazils in particular, these tend to attract mould which is toxic.

2. Keeping your bowels clear of parasites (more than a half of the population have bowel parasites, the intestinal fluke being the most common, and it is most often linked to cancer. Previous naturopathic research has shown that everyone who had cancer had the fluke, but not everyone who had the fluke had cancer. However, ensuring that you do not have the fluke is extremely important in cancer prevention.

3. Keeping the ph balance of your body in good shape by avoiding food that generates acidity in your digestive system, like coffee, pork, and tomatoes. It is a fact that cancer cells survive only in a body that has a disturbed ph balance, i.e it is acidic.

4. Keeping the body well oxygenated. Again, it is a fact that the majority of cancer sufferers tend to have an under-oxygenated body. Make sure that you get plenty of fresh air and take regular exercises outddoors.

Looking after the body is, however, not all. The body is often the reflection of one%26#039;s state of mind, and it is important that you remain in a positive frame of mind about yourself, and your place in life. Make sure that you have always something to look forward to, and if difficulties set in, view them as a challenge that makes you stronger and wiser.

Those spiritually aware bear the burden of the loss of their loved ones much easier, as spirituality gives one the faith in life beyond the body and so the loss is not seen as final, but just as a temporary division.

I hope that the above is of some help.

To learn how I heal cancer you may visit: http://www/dhaxem.com/dhaxem4.htm

Best wishes.

He had prostate cancer and was treated 6 years ago, it came back his blood tests showed a high level of indicator [sorry can%26#039;t remember its name]. He is in his 70%26#039;s and found his initial chemo debilitating. He decided not to have a second course. He is still alive and pretty much living a normal life! If you have secondary%26#039;s is it better to have treatment or take the gamble? Obviously in his case it paid off, My Mum died within months from having treatment for secondary%26#039;s and suffered alot. What is your experience. Please let me know as I have a 1 in 8 chance of suffering the same fate. Mum had primary ovarian cancer and whilst being treated for secondary%26#039;s she developed primary Breast cancer unrelated to the Ovarian cancer. It was questioned had the chemo caused cell damage causing the new second cancer. Thanks and God Bless anybody being treated right now. xxx|||I have had chemo. and I have to say its pretty traumatic. I fortunately didn%26#039;t lose my hair but I felt very sick and extremely exhausted. Unfortunately as I have secondaries in my lungs I have to start a new course of chemo in the new year. I was 48 when diagnosed and had two very long complicated operations. They gave me 6-12 months. Here I am over two years later and although I am now 50, I still feel young and my kids are in their early twenties and still living at home. I have a wonderfully supportive husband and fantastic friends and I WANT TO LIVE. If I was your friends age I may feel differently and think, well I%26#039;ve lived my life, what will be will be. But I feel for myself that I should grasp ANY opportunity to prolong my life. My doctors are THE best anyone could wish for and are very encouraging. As much as I DONT want the chemo, I definitely DONT want the alternative.

Where theres life theres hope and I am hoping some miracle cure will come and it won%26#039;t be too late for me.

Take no notice of any %26#039;miracle%26#039; cures that are on the web, believe me, my doctors know of NO miracles yet.

I%26#039;m told to keep positive, live my life as best as I can and try to live each day as if its my last.

Hopefully I%26#039;ll live to see my second child graduate in 2008 and to see both kids settled down with partners with kids of their own. That alone makes me battle on.

But everyone is different and the choice has to be a personal one.

I hope anyone out there who has cancer and reads this, the very best of luck with their treatments and look forward to a happy 2007.

xxxxxxx|||Thanks a lot, I intend to be here for NEXT Xmas and beyond. Have a good 2007. Report It
|||having taken chemo myself, I will never do it again. The quality of my life is more important to me now than actual quantity.

In other words, I would rather die quickly than go thru the torture of chemo again.|||My boss%26#039; father is 79 and has been living with prostate cancer untreated for over 8 years now. It is a slow-growing variety, so the docs have taken the wait %26amp; watch route for the time being. Aside from being eldery and having other health problems unrelated to the cancer, he%26#039;s fine. I think your friend needs to discuss ALL of his options with his oncologist.

As for yourself, just be sure to make regular appointments for your checkups, get seen as soon as anything seems out of sorts, and be sure to make every doctor aware of your family history and your personal concerns.

Best wishes….|||Do you mean recurring cancer? Usually if you say secondary, you are referring to cancer that has spread from its primary site. Everyone must consider the potential for cure compared with the amount of suffering treatment will cause. Age influences opinion a lot. Doctors often encourage young people (like your mom, probably) to undergo painful treatments even when they are no likely to work because of the fact that they are young. However, I%26#039;ve noticed that oncologists are a lot more supportive of elderly people who choose to forego treatment. I suppose it easier for the health care professional if we can justify %26quot;he has had a good life%26quot;. You just need to be super vigilant and make sure you get yearly pelvic exams and mammograms if you are middle aged or older. Early detection will save your life because treatment is often more successful if the cancer can be identified early.|||I%26#039;ve heard that most prostate cancers progress very slowly, and can take years to spread. Maybe this is a factor, if he%26#039;s in his 70%26#039;s, he%26#039;d want to not be drained by further treatment, and by the time the cancer spread (hopefully) he%26#039;d be quite elderly and would have lived several, normal years.

Sorry to hear your mother had health problems, and I hope this person does well, even without treatment.|||Cant help u as i dont no. but my nan died of cancer and its the most horrible thing in the world , i wish ure friend the best in whatever he choses , and my advice is just support him and be there for him thats the best thing u can do.|||My father in law is 82 and was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the beginning of the year he doesn%26#039;t want any hospital treatment but gets monthly injections at health centre which seem to keep him going. He goes to his club every day and still enjoys life he says at his age he doesn%26#039;t want to spend what time he has left in hospital. Maybe your friend is the same.|||This is where research, soul searching, age, overall health and choice come into play. My sister in law had advanced breast cancer and made the choice not to pursue any treatment at all. She was relatively young at 56 but had lived a wonderful and full life, had four adult children (all happily married) ten grandchildren, my brother had retired very young and they had traveled the world together. She just did not want to go through treatment that might not even work for her. She lived a year and passed away peacefully with my brother at her side. That was her choice.

My son on the other hand was 17 years old. He has not even had a chance to really live. At diagnosis he was a stage IV with widespred disease. He chose to fight and has done very well. We are still gambling and taking every chance we can get to give him his life.

My parents also have stage 1 melanoma. My mother elected to only have her melanoma scraped on a regular basis rather than undergoing disfiguring surgery or other treatment. Those are all choices based on what is best for them.

Not really an easy choice to make. But I do think that every chance possible must be given to the younger cancer patients to not only survive but to thrive.|||Cancers vary a great deal in their behavior and treatment. Your friend%26#039;s Doctor is the best judge of his prognosis (what can be expected). Prostate cancer tends to grow slowly in older men, and often is not treated.|||my sister-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer about six weeks ago! She was told that she had roughly eight weeks to live! She has refused treatment as she still feels well, and wants to spend her time being capable of enjoying her family and not being ill with the chemo. Chemo does slow down the process of cancer,and if all goes well slows it down enough to put you in remission! She is doing very well, watching her diet and seeing a homeopath … and is due for another check up soon. Her way of thinking is, the cancer has got her … there is no way out … so she reckons it%26#039;s better to live it to the best of your ability, rather than loose her hair, feel ill and have everyone sitting around her bedside waiting! Some cancers are caught in the early stages, which are treated effectively .. but I think once you have reached the %26#039;no go%26#039; time … just live as best you can. There are health alternatives to modern medicine …and sometimes people make miraculous recoveries through these channels. Usuall a change of diet, environment etc. You might find it of interest to look up a homeopath and just see what they offer as alternative treatments. It up to each person I believe,but I don%26#039;t think I would opt for chemo! I wish your friend lots of health, and sincerely hope you have many years ahead of good health too. Take care.|||For many, chemotherapy is a much worse fate than cancer, especially since he has gone through treatment once before. Sometimes it is better to live it out - just trying to enjoy the day to day without the burden of worrying about the next treatment, what the doctor will say, how concerned his family must be. It sounds like your friend is a strong man, I would try to just enjoy the time you have with him, and make sure he knows how much you care! Best Wishes to your friend, and to you as well!|||I don%26#039;t blame him, chemo is a terrible thing to go through. My son started out taking it until he doctor told us he couldn%26#039;t do any more for him and he was going to die. In the meantime, we found out about a home remedy and it along with the good Lord, healed my son and he%26#039;s 9 years cancer free. He takes the remedy now as a prevenative as well do we and it%26#039;s working. None of us will ever go the chemo route.|||Do you mean his PSA levels were high?

From working at a cancer research hospital and speaking with folks who have %26#039;been there / done that%26#039; - for a lot of them, they get tired of fighting. Chemo is very harsh and just wrecks absolute havoc on your system. For him, it may not be worth it - he may want to die with some dignity or be able to still be %26#039;with it%26#039;. chemo makes you sicker and i think in some people, it makes them %26#039;go%26#039; quicker. To him, he may just not want to go thru it with being in his 70s, maybe he feels he%26#039;s led a good, long and happy life. Good luck - just be there for him when he needs you :)|||You really haven%26#039;t given enough info to receive any accurate answers. Does he just have an increased PSA level, a second prostate tumor or distant metastasis from the original tumor? Any of these situations would mean very different answers to your questions.

Also, sorry but your mother%26#039;s experience with breast cancer really doesn%26#039;t apply to your friend%26#039;s prostate cancer other than both people had cancer.

There are numerous non-chemo treatments available for prostate cancer that are painless - like radioactive seeding for example. Cancer treatments are changing all the time so your friend%26#039;s experiences of six years ago are old history unless his Dr is wanting to repeat the exact same chemo and this is highly unlikely.

Yahoo answers is full of people selling quack remedies to desperate people so be very careful about buying false hope based on anecdotes. If there was a magic bullet treatment for cancer you would see it on CNN and not Yahoo answers.

good luck to your friend|||I was diagnosed with bowel cancer and had surgery in 2002 and chemotherapy for 6 months till February 2003. Despite scans and ultrasounds and good monitoring [paid for privately because my hospital never scanned me at all] a routine scan in September 2005 revealed the cancer had come back in both my lungs [multiple small tumours] and my liver [1 about 4.5 cms] I went on a trial and another 6 months of chemo from November 2005 - June 2006. I had a break and a scan in September showed a few more tiny tumours in my lungs, so I started another 6 months course in October.

I%26#039;ve had all kinds of side effects but learnt how to prevent them and solve them. Sometimes I have hair, in June I had none, but now after 12 weeks I still have lots, although it%26#039;s not my colour!!

When they tell me the chemo is wrecking all my other organs and they don%26#039;t want to give me more I have two alternative set up and ready to go. I know both work, because I know people who have been cured of terminal cancer.

1. Apricot Kernels and B17 Enzimes http://www.kernelpower.co.uk

2. Dr Budweig%26#039;s Diet: Flaxseed Oil mixed with Yoghourt and runny honey.

You can search for both these. I%26#039;m having a good life because I have a very funny family who make me laugh - they tell me %26#039;cancer isn%26#039;t an illness it%26#039;s a condition like pregnancy - just that the lumps are in the wrong place and don%26#039;t want to come out!%26#039; I%26#039;ve had two Deep Vein Thrombosissssssis which gave me blood clots in my lungs [pulmonary embolism] so now I%26#039;ve been trained to give myself an injection in my stomach every day to keep my blood thin. DVTs are also a side effect of chemotherapy in some people.

I%26#039;m now Stage 4 and have a 3% chance of surviving and whilst there is a 3% there must be people in that % and I%26#039;ve decided I%26#039;m going to be one of them. I have chemo every 2 weeks and the more I ignore it, the less it affects me. I was 67 in November and I plan to be 68 in November 2007. I have already survived bowel cancer for at least 7 years!

Mind over matter is powerful and positive attitudes are mind blowing! Peace and Love to all at Christmas xx|||I don%26#039;t know if he%26#039;s willing to try this, but there%26#039;s aherbal remedy called Essiac tha%26#039;s been proven to treat cancer. Please do a search for suppliers in US as i only know of one in UK (perhaps contact link below if they know of any suppliers near you)

with luv

merry xmas|||I am sure it is hard to watch this but it is his chose. Some times when there older the treatment is harder on them then the cancer its self. Chemo is realy hard on the body and takes a lot out of you. He may just not want to go through that agen. God bless him.|||From what you say your family friend has recurring cancer not secondary.

But, never the less he has a choice to the treatment he does or doesn%26#039;t receive.

As he has already had chemotherapy he will know what to expect. He is also in his 70%26#039;s and would like to live what he has of his time in relative peace.

Chemo is disrupting and painful.

Would you rather see him enjoy 18 months of life or endure those same 18 months with 9 months spent ill and trying to recover from the effects of chemo?

I know it is hard but, all you can do is support your friend and support his choices.

Good Luck.

my friend husband had surgery done to correct prostate cancer that he had but now the poor man has to be wearing pampers because he can%26#039;t hold up his urine, he also lost his manhood, if you know what I mean.|||Prostate surgery runs this risk. How long has it been since the surgery? For a few weeks the incontinence is common. There is a med for this but the surgery to reattach the ureter to the lower ureter takes a while to heal. Until the healing takes place he will need come kind of absorbency. If sufficient time has passed erections will not be. Urologists have a machine which is attached to the flaccid penis and measures if there was a night time, while sleeping, erection. Most men are aware of the night time erection as they wake up.If the night time erection takes place then he is probably a candidate for Viagra or other ED med. But there is a possibility that the nerves were cut and erections will not be possible. In that case he might have an implant or a balloon type device that can be pumped up. Good Luck|||Sounds like he%26#039;ll need an amputation.|||I am sorry. I have no idea, but best of luck to your friend.

I hope everything works out ^^|||That was or should have been explained to him before surgery. That is the normal end to prostate surgery. Sorry.|||A radical prostatectomy definity can cause those issues, because nerves are inevitably damaged. However, there is lots that can be done today to preserve function. Without knowing more details, I would suggest a trip to the urology department of a university hospital. When he books the appointment he should ask to see an %26quot;attending physician%26quot; with expertise in prostate surgery and fixing other surgeon%26#039;s work. Usually a good university hospital has someone who does this.|||Dang. That is a common side effect of prostate surgury.

He might be fixable, but probably not. Sorry.|||It depends on the doctor ant type of surgery. I had my prostate removed last July. To help with the bladder control I stopped in-taking caffeine while I was home recovering from the surgery. Caffeine is a bladder stimulate. I wore depends for 4 weeks and then had total control of my bladder. As for the ED my doctor has me taking 25MG of Viagra daily to increase blood flow to the area of interest. He said it could take 8 months to a year for it to work normal again. With an understanding wife the time goes by fast. There are a lot of support groups and it%26#039;s a lot better than the alternative. I hate the thought of dieing when there is so much left to do.