Prostate Cancer & Aneros

High PSA readings and blood in my urine at my last physical caused my GP to refer me to urologist. Fortunately, the urologist, after examining me and my PSA history, said I had no concern of prostate cancer at this time. (I did have another urological problem, though, that required surgery.)

It's been reported in this forum, and elsewhere in medical references on the web, that prostate massage can encourage prostate cancer to metastasize more rapidly. This seems logical to me. After all, a tumor is connected to your circulatory system, and mechanical manipulation could easily cause pieces of it to break off into your blood stream.

My personal cancer scare, followed by the prostate cancer death of a close relative my age, has put me off any further prostate massage, at least for now.

I don't post this to raise fears of using the Aneros, but merely to suggest that if you're going to use the Aneros, you best be having regular prostate cancer exams and screenings. Actually, if you're over 50, you ought to be doing that regardless.

-Max

Hi Max,

Sorry about your health issues, it sounds as though you have it under control which is great. I hope you will be able to start using the Aneros soon.

I get that if you had a cancerous growth that the use of the Aneros would not be a good idea. What I was wondering was if the use of the Aneros would help to keep the prostate clear of any growths in the first place. Mayber as you get older and your sexual activity decreases, the build up of that fluid could be a factor. With the Aneros, not only are you at a hightened level of sexuality, but you really are expelling some fluid. I dont know, I am just speculating, which is why I asked for peoples thoughts on it.

One thing that you said really made me stop and think. My doctor has been doing prostate checks on me since I was about 35 or 36. I would think that you would want to make the checks part of your routine starting more like 40.

Thank you for your feedback and I wish you luck Max.

Buster

Prostate cancer is one of the hormone-dependent cancers. The lowest incidence of prostate cancer - so low that the vast majority of men have never even heard of it - is in Okinawa, Japan, where the diet is very low in fat and refined carbohydrate and very high in consumption of both fresh fruit and vegetables as well as soya.

Soya and other legumes (beans) have high levels of flavanoids which act as plant hormone-blockers, having the exact opposite effect of high-fat, high meat-content diets. If one is overweight, the body will also produce excessive levels of testosterone and testosterone analogues which encourage the growth of hormone-dependent cancers such as prostate cancer.

Another benefit of replacing meat with soya is that it is low in fat and very low in saturated fat in particular, whilst also containing omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids.

I have recently switched to a low-meat high soy fresh diet due to a diagnosis of coeliac disease. The fact that it could have protective benefits for me as well is just a bonus.

Now I only have to convince my 70 year-old father who DOES have prostate cancer and eats red meat daily to take this seriously. If he'd had an Aneros 10 years ago when a serious heart attack left him unable to have any kind of sex life, then who knows...?

Best wishes

WM

Originally Posted By: Maximus
After all, a tumor is connected to your circulatory system, and mechanical manipulation could easily cause pieces of it to break off into your blood stream.

-Max

Max,

I dont think the spread of cancer is analogous to a fatty deposit in a blood vessel breaking loose and causing a stroke or heart attack by blocking a vital vein in the brain or heart. Cancer is much more complicated and involves genes that express themselves alone or in combination with others that start, stop or otherwsie mediate cell proliferation or death.

I dont believe mechanically manipulating the prostrate would influence this at all.

SC.

Originally Posted By: SC

Originally Posted By: Maximus
After all, a tumor is connected to your circulatory system, and mechanical manipulation could easily cause pieces of it to break off into your blood stream.

-Max

Max,

I dont think the spread of cancer is analogous to a fatty deposit in a blood vessel breaking loose and causing a stroke or heart attack by blocking a vital vein in the brain or heart. Cancer is much more complicated and involves genes that express themselves alone or in combination with others that start, stop or otherwsie mediate cell proliferation or death.

I dont believe mechanically manipulating the prostrate would influence this at all.

SC.

SC:

I'm not a doctor or biologist. I'm just repeating what I've read here and elsewhere on the internet. If you search this forum for 'cancer' you'll come up with these two examples.

The esteemed B. Mayfield said is doctor told him:

The word I got from him is consistent with what I've presented here,.... as long as one doesn't have cancer, or any ongoing infection, there is little harm that one's own anus can inflict upon oneself. I know there are some who have used prostate massage as means for relieving inflammatory diseases, and I would admit that he stopped short of advocating it for that purpose. (I should mention however that he is not an advocate of any kind of therapeutic prostate massage for such conditions).

In another post coco wrote:

If you have the beginnings of a carcinoma in your prostate, it could conceivably result in the cancer being disturbed, broken up and metastasizing (spreading) around your body.

You can find similar admonitions on medical sites on the internet.

Again, I'm not advocating that people not use the Aneros nor am I saying using the Aneros is dangerous. My only point is that if one wants to consider the question of whether prostate massage has any theraputic benefit ( and I've not seen a science based answer on this anywhere), one also needs to consider the potential risks such an action might entail.

-Max

Max,

I too have done some poking around the Internet and had considered the issue more since my original reply. I am not a doctor, and my supposition was based upon studying the complicated and varied pathways that can lead to cancer in different organs and tissues in the body that I have discovered through a layman's reading.

Upon further consideration I withdraw my statement about the low risk of vigorous prostate massage causing cancer to break free and travel to other organs to attach and metastasize.

I don't know enough about the issue to provide a sound opinion, and even if there was a microscopic chance that someone with prostate cancer factors decided to use an Aneros for PM on my say-so, then that would still be too great a chance.

A.

(this post was edited 2006-09-24 17:45:22)

SC:

The word I got from him is consistent with what I've presented here,.... as long as one doesn't have cancer, or any ongoing infection, there is little harm that one's own anus can inflict upon oneself. .....

To All,

Regarding the issue of prostate cancer and prostate massage and statements that I have made in the past, let me be perfectly clear. First, I too am not a doctor or medical practicioner. But having been afflicted with chronic prostatitis for most of my adult life, I have done a considerable amount of research on prostate health. Furthermore, I currently know several men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

If you haven't looked into this before, you should know that virtually every resource that's out there promoting prostate massage for prostatits, BPH (enlargement of the prostate) and greater prostate health, carry cautions about performing prostate massage on individuals with a history of prostate cancer. . Allopathic (traditional) medicine is even more emphatic on the topic.

Contrary to one user who stated that he thought it unlikely that a cancer might break off as a result of massage, it is important to remember that this concept is the essence of metastatic disease...namely that a tumor or lesion can break off and migrate via the circulatory, lymphatic or nervous systems setting up foci in other areas of the body.

When it comes to infectious processes (bacterial) the prostate can be difficult to treat calling for some heavy-weight antibiotics (only a handful are effective). The reason is that circulation within the prostate is more limited than in other areas of the body. Ironically it is this lack of circulation that, in part, accounts for the slow progression of prostate as compared to other forms of metastatic cancer. (Some forms of prostate cancer are more aggressive than others, as defined by Gleason score).

It stands to reason that promoting prostate circulation by manual means in an individual with prostate cancer is NOT a good idea. Note also that the standard treatments for more aggressive forms of prostate cancer are prostate removal or radiation treatment. Systemic treatment (chemotherapy) is generally used only when metastasis has already occurred.

I would strongly discourage anyone with prostate cancer from exploring prostate massage of any kind, including the use of the Aneros. Although it is by no means certain that this would cause metastasis, the potential risk far outweighs the benefits.

BF Mayfield

Hey Gang,

This is good dialogue. You can never know too much on this subject, especially if you are over 40.

I would totally agree that those afflicted with (or have had) prostate cancer, the Aneros would not be a smart idea. Is the general concensus here that if you have been screened to be clear of the disease that you are good to go with the Aneros?

One of my reasons for starting this post was to get your thoughts on the idea that the Aneros massage technique might actually help a person maintain a healthy prostate. The healthier the organ, the less likely for that organ to develope cancer. It is a simple thought. Maybe too simple. Does anyone have an opinion on that?

I know that there are probably no Oncologists or Urologists here, but I dont know how comfortable I would be just popping that question out to my GP. Plus, you could probably get many different answers depending on what kind of person the Dr. is.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Buster

Originally Posted By: Buster

One of my reasons for starting this post was to get your thoughts on the idea that the Aneros massage technique might actually help a person maintain a healthy prostate. The healthier the organ, the less likely for that organ to develope cancer. It is a simple thought. Maybe too simple. Does anyone have an opinion on that?

Buster

Indeed this is an interesting thread and I would very much like to see a definitive answer to your question. Let me throw out a couple of thoughts on the subject.

1. There appears to be no consensus in the medical community as to the benefits, or lack thereof, of prostate massage.

2. There does appear to be a consensus that there are certain risks associated with prostate massage if certain medical conditions exist.

3. Even assuming that prostate massage was proven beneficial to prostate health, it does not follow that a "healthy" organ is less likely to develop cancer than one that is not "healthy." The causes of cancer are varied and not fully understood. If the cause of prostate cancer was known and understood, then it might be possible to answer your question.

-Max

I'm quite lucky that i'm only 21 and manageing to get all this info at an early age! I have 1 question through

Should I get a prostate examination before I continue to use the aneros? although I find extremely intimidating and embarrising to have it checked out although I do realise the importance of doing it, but is it unusual for a 21 year old to have a prostate examination

Hey reddevil,
I'm no doctor, but I really don't think you need a prostate exam unless you are experiencing problems. You are only 21. Enjoy your youth. It's us older guys who need to worry. Take care and have fun,
Charlie

Red Devil,

I agree with Charlie. You're 21 and experiencing the Aneros (jealous!) so have at it. If you have any prostate cancer in your family, you certainly would want to keep things in check. It really is not that bad of an experience getting it checked. I got myself all wigged out about it before the first time I had it done and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is. Like I said, my Doctor started checking me at just over 35 because that is what he thought was right. Others have said to not worry about it until 40 or 50. I do think that 50 is pretty late.

Have fun and dont worry yourself unless.

Buster
(old fart)

thank you for your replies, thankfully no one in my family has had prostate cancer, My brother recently went for a check up with his girlfriend, not for prostate cancer but just a check up to make sure if there clean if you know what I mean, and he said it wasnt that bad, just felt a little weird, anyways I feel better again now, was little worried so thank you