New Strategies against Cancer?
F. Kapasi (UK) stressed the fact that cancer, predominantly prostate cancer, is still a significant of growing cause of morbidity among men over 80. However, studies show that “watchful waiting” instead of treating that condition in this age group may have its advantages for the patients concerned. In summary, they show that initiating curative treatment against cancer in older patients should start at the level physician-patient-communication and be individualized to that patient.
W. Atkin (UK), M. Krainer (A) and C. La Veccia (I) presented in this context intriguing new insights on several aspects of colon cancer, lung cancer in men and prostate cancer as well as the respective epidemiology in the European Union and Eastern Countries, especially the former Soviet Union. While in the European Union rates of gastric and bladder cancer have dropped, this, unfortunately, cannot be said for countries like Russia or others in Eastern Europe.
The most common type of cancer in North America and Europe is, as is well known, prostate cancer. As I. Thompson (USA) explained, it must be the goal to achieve early diagnosis, “but we do not know exactly even today which men need such early diagnostic procedures”, said Dr. Thompson. While there are tumors which do not cause any problems for the patients, early diagnostic measures may well create emotional stress and fears for them. On the other hand, there are aggressive tumors which certainly do pose a threat for the patient’s life. A possible solution to that problem may lie in the concept of Chemoprevention. One means of achieving this today is with finasterid, a substance being used since some time for the shown in one study, that finasterid reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer by about 25 %.
Further lectures on cancer dealt with new approaches in advanced prostate cancer. C. Schulman (B) and I. Thompson and L. Ford (USA) raised the question “Does every prostate cancer need treatment?”, an especially pertinent query when it comes to the afore-mentioned and maybe promising concept of chemo-prevention.