By 2018 There Will Be An Estimated 2.3 Billion Adults With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
According to a study in the October issue of the urology journal BJUI, it is estimated that by the year 2018, almost half of all individuals worldwide over the age of 20 (approximately 2.3 billion people) will experience at least one lower urinary tract symptom, causing a worldwide increase of 18% in only one decade. Other conditions like incontinence, which are more prevalent as individuals age, will also increase, particularly in South America, Asia and Africa. Lead author Dr Debra E Irwin from the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, USA, explains: "Our study suggests that urinary and bladder symptoms are already highly prevalent worldwide and that these rates will increase significantly as the population ages.
Predicting Sexual Function After Prostate Cancer Treatment Has Improved
A study published in the Sept. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association by a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center research team, suggests more open discussion between doctor and patient will assist in improving quality of life for prostate cancer survivors. The report shows survival rates for early stage prostate cancer sufferers are increasing, making quality of life issues a more important part of treatment, with the main focus being sexual function in previously potent men.
Cell Movement Provides Clues To Aggressive Breast Cancer
Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a specific molecule that alters how breast cancer cells move. This affects the cells' ability to spread or metastasize to distant parts of the body, the hallmark of deadly, aggressive cancer. By looking at cells in the lab, in mice and in human tissue, as well as developing a mathematical model to predict cell movement, researchers found that the p38-gamma molecule controlled how quickly and easily a cancer cell moved.