Botox relieves BPH symptoms

	Tweet

For men suffering the discomforts of an enlarged prostate, injections of Botox into the prostate may bring relief for up to 30 months, doctors in Italy report.

Dr. Giuseppe Brisinda of Catholic University Hospital “Agostino Gemelli” in Rome and his colleagues report the outcomes for 77 men ages 50-80 years with so-called benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH, in the medical journal Urology.

The patients were given injections of Botox into the two lobes of the prostate under ultrasound guidance.

Before treatment, the average symptom score on a standard index was 24.1; a score of 20-35 is considered severe. Average prostate volume was 54 milliliters, and peak urinary flow was 8.6 milliliters per second.

Response peaked at 2 months: the symptom score fell to 8.7 and remained low (11.1) at 30 months; prostate volume was 31 milliliters at 2 months and 27 milliliters at 30 months; corresponding values for peak urinary flow were 16.5 and 14.5 milliliters per second.

What’s more, the treatment was also associated with sustained reductions in PSA levels, indicating a possible anti-cancer effect. PSA levels averaged 6.2 before treatment, and this dropped to 3.0 within 2 months.

Despite these promising results, Brisinda’s team says that Botox treatment of BPH should be tested further “before its general usage can be advocated.”

SOURCE: Urology, January 2009.

RELATED STORIES:
Innovation and current status of prostate cancer gene therapy featured in Human Gene Therapy   Coffee may reduce risk of lethal prostate cancer in men   Artificial Light at Night: Higher Risk of Prostate Cancer   Folate may alter risk of prostate cancer progression   Long-term hormone therapy best for prostate cancer   Proton Therapy Effective Prostate Cancer Treatment   Family counseling improves lives of patients and spouses coping with prostate cancer   Prostate Cancer Clinical Findings   Sweeping View of Prostate Cancer Genome Yields Deep Insights   Gleevec strangles drug-resistant, metastatic prostate cancer   Minimally invasive breakthrough for men’s enlarged prostates improves symptoms   Men Can Take Their Time to Decide on Prostate Cancer Treatment   Low-Income Men More Likely to be Diagnosed with Advanced Prostate Cancers   Mushroom extract may boost prostate cancer drug   Vaccine Injection Targeted in Building a Better ‘Bull’s-Eye’ to Fight Prostate Cancer   Finnish researchers find a compound that prevents the growth of prostate cancer cells   Men who stay trim less apt to get prostate cancer   New research model of human prostate cancer shows cancer development   ARRA Funds Research to Improve Prostate Cancer Identification   Hops Compound May Prevent Prostate Cancer   Antioxidants don’t prevent prostate cancer: study   Prostate cancer screening: More harm than good?

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]