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Prostate cancer has an enemy more. Dutasteride is the drug that, according to research results Reduce (Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events) published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine, would be able to significantly reduce the chances of developing prostate cancer in subjects at risk.
Of the centers that participated in the study is also the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan through the collaboration of Professor. Francesco Montorsi, Professor of Urology, which has been one of the coordinators.
The Dutasteride is already prescribed by urologists for the treatment of urinary disorders associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy phenomenon. Its action blocks the transformation of cells within the prostate of testosterone-hydro-testosterone evolved biologically active hormone that affects the DNA. Thus, the Dutasteride works by reducing the size of the prostate gland. According to scholars, however, the drug could also prevent prostate cancer in susceptible individuals.
Physicians who participated in the study Reduce examined during four years around 6,300 men between 50 and 75 years with a PSA value between 2.5 and starting 10 ng / ml. Patients were divided into two groups: the first was given a tablet of 0.5 mg per day of Dutasteride, a second simple placebo. The volunteers underwent prostate biopsy after 2 years of treatment and at the end of the study, and whenever you suspect the presence of a tumor. The results showed that patients treated with Dutasteride, the risk of developing prostate cancer was reduced by 22.8 percent compared to placebo. The positive effect, however, covered only the less aggressive tumors, while more difficult cases the difference between patients treated with the drug and the other was statistically insignificant.
Prof. Montorsi said of the results: "This study offers a new option to patients who carried one or more prostate biopsies but found negative for cancer. These patients typically have elevated PSA values or a visit suspected prostate. In these cases, treatment with Dutasteride is a therapeutic option that should be discussed with the patient. " The drug represents a new hope for the prevention of prostate cancer that is known, is the most common form of cancer among men and the second for mortality after lung cancer. http://italiasalute.leonardo.it/tumoreprostata.asp
Last week, in an open letter to the newspaper [C] Times [/ C], 20 prominent doctors urged the British government to ban smoking in cars. In Italy, Law 3 / 03 (better known under the name Law Sirchia) against passive smoking in public places came into force in early 2005, seemed to have reduced the number of smokers and diseases linked to cigarettes (they were heart attacks also decreased, with peaks of 13 per cent). Now, however, the trend has changed. And not only for increasing the number of smokers (or rather, smokers) - passed 22 to 23 percent - but also that of breaches of the law Sirchia and the boom in cigarette DIY (+26 percent in 2009, +139 per cent since 2004), as recorded by the 2009 report "Smoking Prevention Activities of the Ministry of Health. The "blonde" are back in fashion, also conveyed a number of models proposed by Tv "The producers of television programs - said to James VELINO Mangiaracina, scientific director of the Tobacco area LILT (Italian League fight against cancer) - accepted proposals of the tobacco industry, which finance everything, including sports and musical events. Even the scientific research. " In short, the model young cool, modern and trendy that is not without a cigarette between his fingers. "It is precisely among young people - said Mangiaracina - that there is an increase in the number of new smokers. Means that prevention has not been done in terms of effectiveness. "
The numbers of the 2009 report of the Ministry of Health confirms the analysis of the exponent of LILT. Last year, according to Istat (which refer to more than 60 thousand people face to face interviews with over 14 years), the percentage of smokers has risen to 23 per cent (was 22.2 percent in 2008) after 5 years of stable values around 22 percent. The increase was the same way both males and females (in 2009: males 29.5 percent, females 17 per cent in 2008: males 28.6 per cent females 16.3 percent). In 2003, before the law 3 / 2003, the prevalence was 23.8 percent (males 31 per cent females 17.4 percent). Even more serious data of another investigation, the Doxa / Iss-Ofad (referring to about 3 thousand telephone interviews with people aged over 14 years.) According to this survey, there would be "a dramatic increase in the prevalence of smoking by 22 percent to 25.4 percent, which would correspond to more than 1.8 million smokers in more than a year, especially among women would increase from 17.9 percent to 22.3 percent. " And the female component among smokers focused Mangiaracina: "Over the past 10 years, we see a reduction of lung cancer among men but increased among the women. One thing that should make even more reflection is that in the 50 lung cancer did not exist for women. "
"In 1977 - told the exponent of LILT - the First Congress of Pneumology, was warned for lung cancer among women." In fact, smoking is increasingly women and young people, and often the two categories ranging to match. from data Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (AAMS) in 2009, sales of cigarettes fell by 2.2 percent, corresponding to 140 million packets sold in less than ( less than 1 pack per month purchased by each smoker). In this figure, however, it is matched by another: the last year, there was a further significant increase (+26 percent) of sales of cut tobacco (for cigarettes "DIY"), whose sales more than doubled (+139 percent) since 2004. "This type of tobacco - reads the 2009 report of the Ministry of Health - which currently represents the 1 , 7 percent of the market, it costs less than cigarettes and is therefore particularly 'attractive' to young consumers. "Another sign of change is going to be given some slack registered in the observance of law Sirchia. The figures - contained in the 2009 report - are those provided by the NAS Carabinieri, who since 2005 have made 14 thousand random checks throughout the country in places covered by the smoking ban.
If the controls of the military showed "substantial compliance" of the rule, so in 2009 showed an increase in the number of offenses. The military Nas performed between the months of February and July 2551 inspection, alleging 234 violations (9.2 percent). In total, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to 2008 (was at 5.7 per cent): the percentage of claims to those where smoking was not permitted increased from 2.2 percent to 3.6 percent and infringements concerning irregularities poster bans increased from 3.5 percent to 5.6 percent. "We should educate - said the Scientific Director of the Tobacco Lilt area - non-smokers to enforce the law. You must be guaranteed not only the quality of food and drinks but also the air we breathe. " However, one must also mention the positive effects on health law Sirchia. "The cases to be considered are the so-called acute events like heart attacks and other heart disease. In regions like Piedmont, Lazio and Tuscany, we came to reductions to 13 percent of acute myocardial events. With regard to chronic diseases such as cancer, "we must wait for the data in the long term."
It is estimated that are attributable to tobacco smoke in Italy from 70 thousand to 83 thousand deaths per year, and of these, according Mangiaracina, "30 thousand are caused by lung cancer. In short, he argued, "we talk about a death toll far higher than 6 thousand in road accidents and 7 thousand for domestic." Moreover for every one million euros collected from excise duty, the state will spend two to social costs, as documented in the scientific literature now available. " And at the same time, he complained, there are no funds for prevention. "We asked the government to create a national fund for tobacco control. We ask citizens to invest a dollar to make media campaigns and have effective strategies to combat it - said the member of LILT - communication played an important match. "
ROCHESTER - Often we wonder why even non-smokers to be diagnosed with melanoma lung. According to a team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic of Medicine in Rochester, it would appear that the fault is attributable to a specific gene, the GPC5. No more blame the ETS, DNA is all about. Scholars have examined a group of 754 people. The sample consisted of individuals who had never smoked in their lives and others that, at most, had reached the figure of 100 cigarettes. Once the testing phase, several subjects were observed variation of chromosome 13. These anomalies have led to increase of 60% can be affected by lung cancer. Normally those who smoke about 15-20 times more likely to develop cancer in the respiratory tract, but when the gene makes his entrance, these numbers lose all meaning.
The research coordinator, Ping Yang, explained that the variants of chromosome 13 profoundly modify the structure of the gene GPC5 and profoundly affect the body on exposure to the tumor. "It's the first time - said the professor - who has found an association between a specific gene and lung cancer in people who have never smoked. But what is most important is that we discovered that the gene and its expression are involved in tumor growth. The reactions from the world of medicine, however, do not wait and invite the community to have a more cautious assessment about the discovery. Dr. Govindan, School of Medicine at Washington University, for example, notes that "many more research is needed to find confirmation of preliminary observations on lung cancer than nonsmokers and that medicine is still far from understanding how the audit findings study may be related with susceptibility to disease. " (PRIMAPRESS)
