L AST LOOK
7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER RIGHT NOW In honor of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September, we tapped renowned experts from City of Hope—a leader in prostate cancer treatment, robotic surgery, and groundbreaking clinical trials—for their insights on the disease, screening, and treatments. Here’s what they shared. BY SA R A S M O L A
MD, director of City of Hope’s Prostate Cancer Program
> Screening and diagnosis procedures at City of Hope include advanced imaging technologies to detect and locate prostate tumors and MRI-guided biopsies to increase precision and accuracy. > “A plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer and its possible recurrence after local therapy. Some studies show that phytonutrients found in cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts), allium (garlic, leeks, onions), flax seed, green tea, pomegranate, and soy foods, as well as diets high in lycopene (tomatoes, guava, watermelon), may reduce prostate cancer risk.” –Nune Azaryan, RD, clinical dietitian at City of Hope > “Research shows that obesity is associated with worse outcomes among men with prostate cancer. Obese men are 128 PA S A D E N A
S EP T EM B ER /O C TO B ER 202 1
more at-risk for more aggressive disease and less responsive disease, and have higher mortality.” –NA
> Advanced robotic prostatectomy procedures use a surgical robot to remove the prostate and surrounding tissue, making only one small incision instead of several. “It’s cosmetically more appealing and less traumatic on the body. Additionally, many patients can be operated on and discharged the same day.” –CL > If you do receive a prostate cancer diagnosis, “the most important thing is to take a deep breath and know that it’s a common problem and it’s very treatable. Cancer care and the paradigms of how we treat patients change monthly to yearly, so you want to seek specialists [who keep up with advancements], and always consider getting a second opinion.” –CL > City of Hope recently opened a phase 2 clinical trial to test whether intake of white button mushroom-powder tablets could slow progression of prostate cancer. “White button mushroom has been considered a ‘bioactive food’ with positive effects on human health.” –Shiuan Chen, PhD, co-investigator of the City of Hope mushroom clinical trial
ALEXANDR DZYUBA/UNSPLASH
> “Prostate cancer is still the most common solid tumor in men in the United States. When you look at the statistics in the last 10 years, the number of cases hasn’t gone up. Having said that, over the last 20 years or so, the death rate has decreased due to new medical therapies, more precise but comprehensive local therapies, and screening.” –Clayton Lau,
