Diane Wysowski of the FDA’s division of drug risk assessment says researchers should check into potential links between oral bisphosphonate drugs and cancer of the esophagus.

Merck’s oral osteoporosis drug Fosamax may carry a risk for esophageal cancer, Wysowski writes in a letter to January 1, 2009 New England Journal of Medicine.

Seven percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs in outpatient clinics or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications, according to a new study led by Kathleen E. Walsh, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and published in the January 1, 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Prostate Research Group, Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, reports in January 2009 Int J Cancer on their team’s efforts to “assess the effects and mechanism of action” of a non steroidal antiflammatory drug (NSAID) called NO-sulindac on the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line under hypoxic conditions.”

Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are —
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
— From “Ulysses”
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Below are a graph and a table of the effect of Ferring’s degarelix on testosterone compared with the effect of Lupron. On December 24th Ferring announced that FDA has approved degarelix for the treatment of hormonally sensitive advanced prostate cancer.

Degarelix (generic name) is a GnRH receptor antagonist. The company says: “Degarelix achieves medical castration differently than LHRH agonists, specifically by binding reversibly to GnRH receptors on cells in the pituitary gland, quickly reducing the release of gonadotropins and consequently testosterone.” How quickly? Like this :

Degarelix versus Lupron Effect: Percent drop in Testosterone drop over 28 days

Just 11 months till next Movember! To get in the spirit, check out this Australian video, which explains, the aim of Movember is change the face of men’s health.

Movember in Grandforks, North Dakota, raised $7,000 for prostate cancer research. The money went to the Prostate Cancer Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif.

Jenny Potter in The North Bay Nugget, Ontario, Canada, reports “Another obstacle is out of the way for men at risk of developing prostate cancer.” Unfortunately, this is not quite yet the case. As Potter says:

The Ontario government recently announced it will cover the cost of the prostate-specific antigen tests when performed at laboratories.

Currently, publicly funded tests are only available in hospitals, but picking up the tab for those performed in laboratories will make it more convenient for rural patients to be tested.

Trouble is, as Potter’s report goes on to explain:

Men must meet a list of criteria in order to avoid paying $30 for the test at a local laboratory.

Patients showing symptoms of prostate cancer, who have received a diagnosis or who are directly related to someone with the disease qualify to be tested for free.

An extra hour of sleep at night makes most people get up next morning on the right side of the bed. And according to a study published in today’s JAMA, people who habitually get that extra hour or more may have better cardiovascular health.

Longer sleep, according to research led by University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Diane Lauderdale, PhD, makes for substantial reduction in the risk of developing hardened, or calcified, arteries. Coronary artery calcification involves the accumulation of calcified plaques in artery walls. The new research has found an unexpected link between this condition and sleep.

“We have found a robust and novel association between objectively measured sleep duration, ” Lauderdale writes, “and 5-year incidence of coronary artery calcification. One hour more of sleep decreased the estimated odds of calcification by 33%.”

Music “has Charms to sooth a savage Breast,” wrote playwright William Congreve, “To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.” But can it soothe those mired in the grief, confusion and pain of cancer diagnosis and treatment?

Music therapist Megan Gunnell at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center thinks so. She uses music to help heal cancer patients’ spirits as well as their bodies.

UM Music therapist Megan Gunnell

You can listen to one of her music therapy sessions. You’ll need QuickTime music player . If you don’t already have it installed on your computer, you can download it for Windows or Mac in a free version from Apple.

Mission Healthy Men is a campaign in Austria to motivate men to become as health-conscious as women and to get health check-ups, especially for prostate cancer.

Under the slogan “Prevention is the future” the campaign is fundraising among banks, corporations, drug companies and orchestral concert-goers, while aiming to impact health choices by regular guys who get their autos serviced at regular intervals — or did before the recession — yet ignore their own health.