A cure for cancer that can give you cancer

There's nothing like new cancer research to fill up column inches on a slow news day. On Tuesday, The New York Times reported on a new study that found that exposure to the sun reduces a man's risk of getting prostate cancer. Of course it also increases his chances of getting skin cancer.  Sun exposure, it turns out, prompts the body to produce Vitamin D, which inhibits prostate cancer cells. The Times story goes on at some length about the dangers of sun exposure to the skin and how men are probably better off taking a vitamin D supplement if they're worried about prostate cancer. The problem there is that no one really knows how much of the supplement has to be taken in order to be an effective inhibitor of prostate cancer. There are other steps men can take to ward off prostate cancer not mentioned in the Times article however. My urologist told me that the best prevention is to make sure that the gland is, well, stimulated. Early and often. He really said that. Forget the headache, honey, doctors orders! (You could also swear that medical studies show that going solo simply doesn’t have same health benefits, but that would be a lie.) Why do I have a strong suspicion The New York Post wouldn't have left that angle uncovered?

—Posted by Steve McClellan

June 29, 2005 | Permalink