Health
Prostate cancer risk increases by 45% among men who share one troubling behavior
Researchers are warning that men who regularly dodge prostate cancer screening appointments are 45% more likely to die from the disease.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths, according to UC San Francisco (UCSF).
But if screening programs are introduced on a national scale — particularly those that measure levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood — they could give men earlier access to treatment, experts say.
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They would thus have a better chance of being cured, according to reporting by news agency SWNS and others.
Screening can also prevent costly treatments associated with advanced prostate cancer.
A new study examined the link between the consistent decline of men’s screenings and the risk of dying from prostate cancer. It reveals a “stark contrast” that emphasizes the potential consequences of screening avoidance. (iStock)
That’s according to data from the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).
The study collects information from seven European nations — Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and Spain. It is said to be the world’s largest prostate cancer screening study, said SWNS.
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Long-term data from this entity consistently shows that PSA screening programs can lead to a 20% reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer.
‘Stark contrast’
Now, an analysis of 20-year follow-up data from the ERSPC is the first to look at the link between the consistent decline of screening invitations and men’s risk of dying from this type of cancer.
It reveals a “stark contrast” that emphasizes the potential consequences of screening avoidance.
Of the 72,460 men invited to partake in screenings, around one in six were non-attenders and skipped every appointment.
Researchers from Erasmus MC Cancer Institute at the University Medical Centre in the Netherlands led the analysis, said SWNS.
Of the 72,460 men invited to partake in the screenings, around one in six were non-attenders and skipped every single appointment.
That group had a 45% higher risk of dying from prostate cancer compared with those who attended screening appointments, according to the findings.
Choosing not to participate in screening is a choice that may be driven by a complex collection of factors, said one expert. (iStock)
When comparing outcomes with the control group – men who were never invited to have screenings – those who attended the screening appointments had a 23% lower risk of dying from prostate cancer, while non-attenders faced a 39% higher risk, SWNS reported.
Lead study author Renée Leenen, M.D., Ph.D., said the choice not to participate in screening may be driven by a complex collection of factors.
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Said Leenen, who is with the Erasmus CM Cancer Institute in the Netherlands, “It may be that men who opted not to attend a screening appointment are care avoiders — meaning they’re less likely to engage in healthy behaviors and preventative care in general.”
Experts “need to better understand who these men are, why they choose not to attend appointments and how to motivate them.”
She added, “This is the opposite behavior of people who are perhaps more health-conscious and are more likely to attend a screening appointment … Our study identifies that men who were invited for screening, but do not attend screening appointments, are at a significantly higher risk of dying from prostate cancer compared to men who were not offered screening or accepted an invitation for screening.”
Long-term data from this entity consistently shows that PSA screening programs can lead to a 20% reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer. (iStock)
Dr. Leenen said that experts “need to better understand who these men are, why they choose not to attend appointments and how to motivate them.”
Doing so, she added, “will help us design population-based prostate cancer screening programs that encourage higher rates of informed participation … Tackling attendance rates in this way could be a big factor in the long-term success of a national prostate screening program,” SWNS reported.
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Urologist Tobias Nordström, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said, “We need to better understand why these men might actively choose not to participate in screening, despite being invited to attend, and how this behavior is linked to worse outcomes when they get a diagnosis.”
The findings from the study are scheduled to be presented this weekend at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid, Spain, said SWNS.
Fox News’ senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel, who was not involved in the new study on prostate cancer risks, previously called out the need for regular medical screenings.
Siegel has emphasized the need to “diagnose it early for better outcomes.”
Angelica Stabile of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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