I have just read a book that said that men with 4x the normal level of IGF-1 in their bodies have a greatly elevated risk of contracting prostate cancer. I am concerned for two reasons. I lift weights and I am wondering if lifting increases my levels of IGF-1 (this seems intuitive, but I don%26#039;t know for sure). Also, I am taking whey protein, which I have read contains IGF-1, and I drink it two times a day. Any help?|||IGF-1 and cancer

Several studies have shown powerful associations between blood levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) and the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer, and premenopausal breast cancer. As a matter of fact, recent evidence indicates that high IGF-1 levels may be more important than other previously reported risk factors for cancer. IGF-1 is released by human growth hormone and stimulates growth throughout fetal and child development. IGF-1 in the body is normally tightly bound to a large protein molecule (IGF binding protein-3) and there is evidence that high levels of IGF binding protein-3 protect against the development of certain cancers.

A distinguished group of medical researchers at the University of Bristol now voice concern about the increasing use of IGF-1 and growth hormone enhancers by body builders and elderly people trying to recapture their vanishing youth. They suggest that IGF-1 may increase both cell turnover and the susceptibility of cells to become cancerous. They also point to recent evidence that indicates that IGF-1 prevents the programmed death (apoptosis) of cancer cells. The researchers warn that people using growth hormone and IGF-1 enhancers are unlikely to be aware of their potentially harmful effects.

The pharmaceutical industry is well aware of the increasingly clear association between IGF-1 and cancer. Chemotherapeutic drugs are being developed to block the activity of IGF-1 or enhance the activity of IGF binding protein-3.

There is blood test available called a CA-125. The median age for Ovarian Cancer is 56. But it can show up at as young as 22. Ovarian cancer symptoms are silent but may be enlarged abdomen , diarrhea/ constipation like irratable bowel syndrome. Ask you doctor to order this test for you and take charge of your health. Call you insurance company and ask them to pay for this test. If your GP orders it , it is $25 or if your GYN $125. Men have PSA test for Prostate cancer yearly, so women need this test yearly also. Send this message on to the women you love and friends. You may save their lives..|||If it was only that simple! This is one of those common %26#039;rumors%26#039; circulated around the Internet via email. It%26#039;s a half truth.

This blood test, CA-125, is not good as a diagnostic tool because it can also detect menstruation, pregnancy, and endometriosis. Thus the real potential for false positive readings since all young women menstrate.

This tool can be used in combination with other diagnostics and it can be used to monitor a patient who already has cancer. If you monitor a cancer patient you can test to see if the levels are rising which might indicate a relapse or reoccurence. While if the levels decreased it would mean that treatment was working. That%26#039;s the best use for CA-125 at the moment.

Always check this type of information to see if it is an Internet myth, especially if received by email.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/c…

American Cancer Society: Email Hoax CA-125 Tests for Ovarian Cancer

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MED/conten…|||The tests are usually very difficult to pass.

There is no study guide and the math questions are much too hard.|||this has been available for years.but only shows up when the cancer is present it cannot be used to see if you will get it and like all hormone based tests it can be influenced by other factors so are not always accurate.

Tony Snow (Whitehouse spokesman), right after Edward`s claims, and then Fred Thompson….And remember, Rudy had prostate cancer not too long ago as well….Will Rudy`s cancer resurface, at least on the political scene, as yet another blow against John Edward`s ploy to gain America`s sympathy with claims of %26quot;cancer within the family%26quot;?….then there was the recanting of Edward`s previous claims……Mrs. Edwards is not quite in the predicament the Edwards camp once told us all she was once in….. What do you think ?|||John Edwards is so narcissistic. He ought to be ashamed.

Elizabeth confirms the adage %26quot;love is blind%26quot;|||I think this is a non-issue|||You are shameful.|||Very cruel remarks about the Edwards family here.

But then again, you%26#039;re a Republican , so I shouldn%26#039;t be surprised.|||Anything can be perverted into political fodder these days. Cancer is in my opinion is out of bounds. Both circumstances were made public, appropriately. Beyond that, intentional mentioning to of the situation could be construed as a plea for sympathy.

They are both getting the best treatment. Their fate is in Gods hands now.|||Tony Snow was going in for surgery, and he is the white house press secretary. Why wouldn%26#039;t the public know? Not a political decision. Fred Thompson let everyone know because he is about to get into the race and wanted to tell people that his cancer is not life threatening, and is in remission. The doctors say he will live a full life. He is just being honest with the people. Rudy announced his when he dropped out on the senate race to have surgery. If Edwards wife feels she is up to the campaign, I say God speed.|||Well, I haven%26#039;t heard any further news on Mrs. Edwards, but I don%26#039;t know of any situation where recurrence of a cancer is a good thing. And I think that any claim that this is a %26quot;ploy%26quot; is disingenuous.

I%26#039;m of an age where cancer lurks around the corner, waiting for me so it can pounce. I have friends and relatives battling cancer at this moment, including my brother (prostate cancer - recurred a year after prostatectomy, Age 44, and my best friends%26#039;s dad (prostate cancer - metastecized to the colon and liver), and from this experience, I have to conclude that making political hay out of cancer is the farthest thing from Edwards%26#039;, Thompson%26#039;s, or Giuliani%26#039;s mind.|||The republicans seem to use ANYTHING to make inuendos about. They think they are making points…….but it is only another republican who wouldn%26#039;t feel sick at this kind of junk!|||I do not now feel nor do I think for one moment that anyone has told of their cancer problem so as to get or receive sympathy from voters in the Democratic or the Republican party%26#039;s.|||I don%26#039;t think that you question is as important at this time.

The 2008 election is still a long distance away.

There are to many current problems such as having a President who supports a dishonest attorney general, the fraud of the 9/11 commission report and the %26quot;covert operations%26quot; playground in Iraq.|||I can really only say one thing:

badda boom badda bing|||sure bob o%26#039;really your really unfair and unbalanced|||Do you realize how ******* vile that question is?

It would sure save a lot of trouble later on.

And yes, if I saw my father die from testicular or prostate cancer, I would go ahead and get them taken out before I get cancer too.|||Well, then who would propagate the human species? Apes like you??!!

Good thing I%26#039;m in a %26quot;quiet%26quot; mood.

When have you ever been judged by your breast size, or your ability to give birth?

You WOULD give up your balls…HAHAHA…sounds to me like they%26#039;ve already been taken away, if you dare to ask a question like this.

You can%26#039;t say what you would or wouldn%26#039;t do….|||Nice attempt. 3/10|||My sister really wants to have a hysterectomie, cuz ya, she can%26#039;t have kids, and has nothing but problems…but, its not up to her..DOCTORS won%26#039;t just let u do that…they have to be convinced its needed…surgery is a serious thing,u can always die from surgery, so they take precautions. and LOTS of em.|||Some of them do; prophylactic mastectomies are done on women with a strong family history of breast cancer but it is totally their choice.|||Really, why not cut off your head before you get brain cancer? …eheheh…just kidding. I wouldn%26#039;t want to cut off my breasts to avoid cancer unless they found something, but I wouldn%26#039;t mind the hysterectomy….cycles are a pain anyway. Wouldn%26#039;t those be elective if there isn%26#039;t a cause for removal yet though? THey need to change the health care system.|||Why not remove the stomach - to prevent stomach cancer?

Why not remove the lungs while we%26#039;re at it… don%26#039;t want lung cancer!!!

I feel quite attached to my parts and will keep them. Thank you!

I think removing something, just to prevent future problems, is living in fear… don%26#039;t worry about what tomorrow holds..deal with it when it arrives!|||Why would anyone ever remove functional, needed body parts %26quot;just in case%26quot;? Using that rational why wouldn%26#039;t diabetics have their legs amputated before they get any infections?

You said you would have your testicles or prostate removed if your father died of it, but you can still get cancer even if your father didn%26#039;t have it, so why not have them removed now? While you are at it you should also have your penis removed since penile cancer is a killer of men also.|||there are women who having been identified as being at high risk for these cancers that have indeed had mastectomies prior to ever getting a diagnosis of cancer. But, women need the hormones provided by their ovaries, so a hysterectomy to avoid the risk of cancer is like cutting off ones nose to spite ones face. And while alot of women get these cancers, they are by no means a majority of the population, why all that surgery if it is not nessessary or medically indicated? If your father died from testicular cancer, it was likely because he did not get regular checkups; that is one of the most curable cancers when caught early, and it usually is in those men who take the time to get regular checkups.|||It%26#039;s real easy to state that you would allow yourself to be castrated. At what age would you have it done? Perhaps immediately following your father%26#039;s diagnosis. Why wait and tempt fate?|||Because cancer isn%26#039;t always sent down through generations. There are many women that do have double mastectomies and get implants to eliminate the risk but for those women it%26#039;s not just %26quot;your mother has it%26quot;. It%26#039;s you mother, her sisters, her mother, her sisters, you father%26#039;s sisters…because cancer does skip generations.

Now, for hysterectomies, women from birth are conditioned to have children. You can%26#039;t have a child naturally if you don%26#039;t have a uterus. You are also loosing the part of you that truly makes you a woman (a guy can have a vagina made, breast implants, hormones but can%26#039;t have an uterus made). For some women the threat of cancer isn%26#039;t enough to make that kind of sacrifice. The same couldn%26#039;t be said if the woman had cancer. At that point the threat is real and they may opt for the hysterectomy.|||OB/GYN normally DONT do that unless they are past a certain age. They probably get this done if they were in there late 30s. Its because of HORMONES with women. They need ESTROGEN and the OVARIES supply that to women to prevent osteoporosis etc. They could but they would have to take HRT.

Have your breasts removed for a woman is a HUGE SHOCK. Ask any woman who has lost a breast due to cancer. Thats why they make fake breasts etc.

Why we are on the subject why dont you get you PEN#S removed. See how you might like that.|||You know men can develop breast cancer too, right?

http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/bcm…

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/conten…

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/t…

And, as most people pointed out you can get penile, testicular, and prostate cancer.

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertyp…

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/testi…

http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/

And breasts and ovaries and the cervix serve a purpose beyond reproduction. Perhaps you should try a health class.

I am disgusted by your lack of respect for women based on this question. If you had a general concern about proactive cancer treatments you wouldn%26#039;t have focused on women%26#039;s reproductive parts you would have asked a more general question.

*****Edit*****

Why not get them removed now? You don%26#039;t have to be over 50 to get penile cancer.|||Following your train of logic, one would have to have his brain removed, in order not to die from brain cancer. I bet you wouldn%26#039;t know the difference if they did that to you|||you need your balls removed!!!! what a stupid ignorant person you are!!! i didnt even KNOW i had breast cancer, it was undetectable!!! my husband had brain cancer what do you think he should have done????? it dosent stop all problems cancer can get anywhere go and do more research!!|||First of all, I have to say that what you have written is a touch insensitive and cruel. Breasts and vaginas are very important to women, the same as testicles and penises are important to guys. There isn%26#039;t a guy I know that would voluntarily cut off his balls or penis, just to stave off cancer or disease. I%26#039;m sorry, I wouldn%26#039;t buy it even if they said they would. Asking women to cut their boobs and %26quot;holes%26quot; (as you crudely put it) off, is like asking a guy to cut off his equipment. It%26#039;s cruel and it just wouldn%26#039;t happen. As a woman, I%26#039;m very proud of my boobs and vagina. I can give birth to a child (which is critical to human%26#039;s survival) and nurse that same child (which is also critical to survival) with my equipment. A man can provide the sperm necessary for that child, but that%26#039;s about it. Cancer is a vicious thing, but it%26#039;s not a death sentence. It%26#039;s also not a guarantee. There%26#039;s no for sure bet that EVERY woman or man is going to get cancer, so therefore there is no need for EVERY woman or man to go cutting off their pride and joy! I hate to be rude by saying this, but you need to think things through before you open your mouth to speak. This was just a dumb thing to ask or to suggest.

Thanks for the laugh, though.|||Why not remove all you organs to prevent all cancer? Lungs, liver…..What about a heart attack? Remove our hearts,too?|||Having breasts doesn%26#039;t automatically make a person get cancer, any more than having testicles automatically makes you a moron. I know plenty of men who have testicles and are NOT morons, so it must be something else that is causing you to be one.|||Because breasts mean as much to women as testicles mean to men. I would sure miss my %26quot;girls%26quot; if I had to have a mastectomy. As well, I know of no health care plan that will pay for elective surgical procedures.A mastectomy as well as a hysterectomy, would cost around $25-30,000.00

Another reality, is that MD%26#039;s will not do those procedures without a good reason.

I%26#039;ve been planning/researching for about a month now to go back to school 2 get a degree that I want. The school is only 2hours away. I%26#039;ve 24 and now just figured out what kind of career I would like to have. I%26#039;m been working at an insurance company lately, which my dad loves that idea of me doing, and I hate it.My dad has recently had prostate cancer and he got it removed a week ago, and he found out yesterday that he still has cancer in his body, so he will have to go through radiation now. He is upset and so is my family and I. But my mom is really, really upset with the fact that I might go away to college.

My dad doesn%26#039;t know anything yet, because I wanted to make sure I was going until I really told it to anyone and my mom just kinda knows what I%26#039;m planning. So my mom is aganist it, and the rest of the family says do what I feel that I should do.

But I don%26#039;t know what to do, go away to college and pursure my dreams and feel bad? Or stay,be with family and not go for my dreams|||The school is only 2 hours away. Some people commute that far every day. It%26#039;s doable. It%26#039;s hard but it can be done.|||TALK to your dad.

ask him how he feels ?

be aware too that your mum needs your moral and physical support now that your dad is going through medical treatments.

Assure them all that its only a short distance away and that you could rush home in a jiffy if need be …….|||Is it possible you can do both? Maybe you could postpone but not abandon going to school. Or go to school and come home on weekends and/or holidays since it is so close.|||your dad was there when you were sick… you should give yourself some time because if he dies (not that i wish that) you will regret that you were not with him all the time you could.

you will find the time to have your degrees later, now, you should stay with your family.

i think this is one of those god´s tests, to see if you do care about others over you.

May god bless you and your dad.|||Ido appreciate the fact that you are concern with your dad%26quot;s health and your dreams of joing collage are even more appealing note that life will not stop wish your dad aquick recovery but advice that you go on and join collage for your future depends on your success in obtaining that level of education good luck|||Cancer is horrible. I am so very sorry to hear about your dad. You know the severity of your father%26#039;s situation, better than any of us here, so do what you feel in your heart is right. I can only tell you of my personal experience.

We had no idea how fast the cancer would take my mom. Three months after the found a very small lesion,…she was taken from us. She was very strong and had conquered cancer 20 years ago. She worked until a week before she died, we were shocked. I was 2 hours away and did not make it home in time. I wish more than anything that I had come home once she had to stop working, We just never thought it would happen so quickly.

Cancer is of the devil and can move at snail%26#039;s pace or as fast as lightening thru the body.

Congratz on figuring out what career to peruse, perhaps it can wait another 6 months? If it were me, I would stay until things with your dad settled down and he was well on his way to recovery. This is not giving up your dream, merely putting it off a few months to take care of things on the home front. Your studies will be there when you get there, family should pull together in times of trauma.

Cherish every moment you have with your loved ones. Good luck and I wish you and your family well.|||Pursue your dreams. You say, the school is only 2 hours away. You can always go home on weekends, or take a leave from school when necessary.|||I lost my dad to prostate cancer that had spread, then my mom a year later to breast cancer that had spread. I have cancer now and so does my sister. I can tell you from extreme personal experience that being there for family brought/brings the greatest peace and reward. You have to think of the big picture and what will mean the most to you when you are on your own death bed looking over your life! It is the most difficult thing with the cancer cloud looming over head - a very harsh reality. And yes, anyone can die at anytime from an accident etc… but knowing the possibility of it being closer maybe than you thought does change things. At the same time, life does not stop and you do need to do things for yourself and future. My thought is maybe that could be a bit postponed until you know more. Not to mention the fact that you say you would %26quot;feel bad%26quot;, how much will you be able to put into college at this moment! It is a very personal decision, depending greatly on your own family dynamics. But for me … relationships trump career!|||You aren%26#039;t happy with your current job, and Bravo to you for setiing your mind to do something about it. Who is going to support you financially while you are earning this degree? If it is your parents, then they should have some say. If you plan on supporting yourself, then you should go. Do some research on the prostate cancer. What are the odds for him at this point? You have a couple of options. You can either take these courses at a community college so that you are close to home until your dad gets through this, or you have an idea of where it is going. (you can always transfer) or you could wait to go to college all together and see how your dad is going to cope with it all. Ultimately, the decision is yours, and if something happens you have to live with the guilt. If he gets better, and you decided to stay home, then you are the one who has to live with the disappointment. For me personally, it is always %26quot;family first%26quot; Good luck with your decision.|||I am a PCa survivor, so I have a little more experience than most with these issues.

The question is, what would you do at home? In terms of what your father has gone through, and is about to go through, there%26#039;s very little that you can do. Once he%26#039;s done with the immediate recuperation from surgery, he will have two big challenges: impotence and incontinence. I doubt that he even wants you to know about this, much less help. His radiation therapy may result in weakness and nausea, again not something you can help with. About all you could do is drive him back and forth to his rad treatments (there will be several). But you could easily split that responsibility with your mother or other family members, and take a few hours off from school occasionally to shuttle him back and forth. I just don%26#039;t think there%26#039;s a lot of actual assistance you can give your father.

Your mother is another story. She%26#039;s trying to cope with the possibility of your father%26#039;s passing. If not from life, then from being healthy to being a convalescent. She%26#039;s probably worried about money and security, and she%26#039;s intimately involved in all of his recovery issues. You%26#039;re going to have to be sensitive to all of that as you try to deal with this.

As for your school, you%26#039;ve already put it off too long. Your father has at least five or ten years ahead of him, the disease usually works slowly. So if you wait it out, you may be throwing away your best chance, and I doubt that%26#039;s what either of your parents would wish. Nor will it do your father a bit of good: take it from someone who%26#039;s been there, the more he does on his own, the better it will be for him. The best love you can show him is to treat him just as you always have, not like an invalid.

My suggestion is that you find a way to go to school, and to be a presence for your mother%26#039;s sake. It may mean that you%26#039;re home every weekend, or that you find living accomodations halfway between school at home. And if you%26#039;ve saved any money from your job, you may need to help your mother with expenses. It%26#039;s difficult, but it%26#039;s not the hardest choice I could imagine.

Finally, a comment about guilt and regret. The cancer will follow it%26#039;s very slow course, only medical treatment offers any hope of slowing or stopping it. PCa may be your father%26#039;s fate, or not. But it%26#039;s in no way your fault, nor is there anything you personally can do to stop it. The one thing you can do is learn a little about it. Get a copy of Patrick Walsh%26#039;s book on PCa at any bookstore. Read it from cover to cover. At least you%26#039;ll know what to expect, you can be a resource when it%26#039;s needed. And if you%26#039;re really doing something that%26#039;s worthy of regret, you will know it in your heart.

My father is 82 and dying of prostate cancer. He is on Xanax 1 mg 4 times a day, and gets Haldol as needed, up to twice a day. he also gets Oxycontin twice daily. {10 mg} He continues to get very agitated and sometimes combative. He gets so upset.2 weeks ago we had to put him in a nursing home, and every day we visit he insists on going home with us and he can%26#039;t. Any suggestions would be very appreciated.|||There is not much other than putting him in a coma. You may want to speak with the doctor. Nursing home doctors are not that attentive. You may want to contact his primary care physician and have him contact the nursing home doctor…..the squeaky wheel gets the grease. You have to make a fuss in order to get something done….you may want to speak to the Administrator of the Nursing Home…..they hate bad publicity!!! Also, contact Hospice…….they will get the job done for you! Trust me, I know.|||I took a course once and if you want to keep someone comfortable there is something called a Brompton cocktail that you could ask your pharmacist to make for your Dad and that may help. Good Luck.|||my aunt (83 years) is terminally ill with cancer all through her body. the nurses give her morphine.|||some meds work differently on elderly people. xanax is an anti-anxiety drug, which gives a calming effect. oxycontin is a narcotic pain reliever. i take xanax for anxiety, it gives me a calming effect, but i have also used oxycontin for pain and the pain meds made me hyper. i used oxycontin for about four months after having knee surgery. some people become drowsy when taking oxycontin and others become over-hyper. this is the drug rush limburg had to go into rehab for, remember how he use to be very hyper on his talk show. oxycontin is why. speak to your father%26#039;s doctors and see if they can put him on a medication for pain that does not have this side effect and will not affect the actions of the xanax.

My dad has been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and needs medication that are too expensive for us to afford, he was given a prescription for Casodex but at $303 a dose, and no medical insurance, its simply not affordable. Anyone know any charities that can help please please let me know.|||pole sana

my grandfather had prostate cancer and he was supposed to get an operation in Nairobi but the waiting list was too long so he chose to go get the operation done in India. They also have better doctors in India. I know a couple of organizations that can help you and your father pay for the medicine or for the operation if needed. Send me an email and I will try to get you a list of organizations and contacts

jordanroxs911@yahoo.com|||Funny you should ask. THere is a woman in Nairobi by the name of Lucy Mutuku who used to write me about prostate cancer awareness and treatment events there. If you can find Lucy, you might find your answer.

he just found out he had prostate cancer and is under treatment for the next 9 weeks. he says when he gets home, he is tired and does not want to eat. he is in his 70s and has been a good friend to me especially money wise over the past 3 years. I feel like i owe him my life. I am one of those ladies who has a lot of male freinds and most of them have all introduced me to there wives as a good friend and like as if i%26#039;m just one of the boys but this one has never done so. So what can i give him as a nice gift to cheer him up?|||Be yourself

do not make him feel like he is a charity case and he has 24 hours to live. Just be there for him the best way you Know how. Do what u have always done. If he needs to cry be there, laugh -laugh with him, yell at the world - be his punching bag. My father,mother both grandmothers and aunt all had cancer

and I didnt know what to do

they just want you to be yourself

everything for them is different now

the last thing they prob want is for you to change as well.

( unless u are a horrible friend. in that case ignore what i said and change =) ) good luck

They wear the Blue ones on Father%26#039;s day and Pink on Mother%26#039;s day. The blue support Prostate cancer awareness and the pink are for Breast cancer awareness and I%26#039;d like to know if they let you buy those or if anybody had any clue of where to find them.|||I think if you look on eBay there should be at least one or two

Amazon may have some

MLB.com is sure to have some, but I don%26#039;t know how costly they are.

I think it%26#039;s great that your supporting the cause, so keep it up, and the best of luck to you!|||you should try www.mlb.com or maybe even ebay.

Especially the one of the pe nis skin what r its signs?|||Carcinoma of the penis

Testicular cancer

Urethral cancer

Anal cancer

NB Breast cancer is also common in men|||Cancer of the penis is one of the rarest cancers of all. It occurs in only one in 100,000 males. Testicular cancer is more common but it responds well to treatment.