David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Blood calcium levels may be tipoff for deadly prostate cancer
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
CBC News
Men with too much calcium in their blood could be at much higher risk for fatal prostate cancer, a new study suggests.
If the results hold true in further research, the finding could provide a way to predict whether a man has a deadly form of prostate cancer or a tumour that doesn't lead to worrying symptoms.
"The take-home message is that this may offer a simple means to detect men who are at increased risk of fatal prostate cancer," said study co-author Halcyon Skinner of the school of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin.
Drugs are already available to reduce calcium levels in the blood, and the test is routinely ordered during checkups, the researchers said.
Since there is little relationship between calcium in the diet and calcium in the blood, men shouldn't be concerned about reducing their dietary intake of the mineral, Skinner said.
The researchers analyzed the results of 2,814 men who participated in a national health and nutrition survey in the U.S. Participants gave blood to have their calcium levels measured about 10 years before prostate cancer was diagnosed, on average.
In the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the team said they focused on 85 cases of prostate cancer and 25 prostate cancer deaths.
Men in the top third for blood calcium levels had 2.68 times the risk of developing fatal prostate cancer later in life compared with those in the bottom third, according to the study.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine prostate cancer risk in relation to serum calcium," the researchers wrote in the American Association for Cancer Research's journal.
"These results support the hypothesis that high serum calcium, or a factor strongly associated with it, such as high serum parathyroid hormone, increases the risk for fatal prostate cancer."
Both calcium and parathyroid hormone have been shown to promote the growth of prostate cancer cells in laboratory experiments.
Parathyroid hormone helps keep calcium at normal levels in the blood. Too little calcium (less than seven milligrams per decilitre) can cause uncontrolled muscular convulsions or contractions, while too much (above 14 milligrams per decilitre) can cause a coma, the researchers said.
One in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. About 19,000 Canadians are diagnosed with it every year. It is the most common cancer found in men and the second-most deadly, after lung cancer. Two of three Canadians who develop the disease will die of something else.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
CBC News
Men with too much calcium in their blood could be at much higher risk for fatal prostate cancer, a new study suggests.
If the results hold true in further research, the finding could provide a way to predict whether a man has a deadly form of prostate cancer or a tumour that doesn't lead to worrying symptoms.
"The take-home message is that this may offer a simple means to detect men who are at increased risk of fatal prostate cancer," said study co-author Halcyon Skinner of the school of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin.
Drugs are already available to reduce calcium levels in the blood, and the test is routinely ordered during checkups, the researchers said.
Since there is little relationship between calcium in the diet and calcium in the blood, men shouldn't be concerned about reducing their dietary intake of the mineral, Skinner said.
The researchers analyzed the results of 2,814 men who participated in a national health and nutrition survey in the U.S. Participants gave blood to have their calcium levels measured about 10 years before prostate cancer was diagnosed, on average.
In the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the team said they focused on 85 cases of prostate cancer and 25 prostate cancer deaths.
Men in the top third for blood calcium levels had 2.68 times the risk of developing fatal prostate cancer later in life compared with those in the bottom third, according to the study.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine prostate cancer risk in relation to serum calcium," the researchers wrote in the American Association for Cancer Research's journal.
"These results support the hypothesis that high serum calcium, or a factor strongly associated with it, such as high serum parathyroid hormone, increases the risk for fatal prostate cancer."
Both calcium and parathyroid hormone have been shown to promote the growth of prostate cancer cells in laboratory experiments.
Parathyroid hormone helps keep calcium at normal levels in the blood. Too little calcium (less than seven milligrams per decilitre) can cause uncontrolled muscular convulsions or contractions, while too much (above 14 milligrams per decilitre) can cause a coma, the researchers said.
One in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. About 19,000 Canadians are diagnosed with it every year. It is the most common cancer found in men and the second-most deadly, after lung cancer. Two of three Canadians who develop the disease will die of something else.
