Study supports watch-and-wait approach for many prostate cancers

In a long-term study of older men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer and followed with so-called active surveillance, less than a third of cases eventually needed treatment, according to a new study.

About one half of one percent of the men died of their cancer during up to 18 years of follow-up.

Some prostate cancers do need to be treated on diagnosis, but older men with small, slow-growing cancers may die of other causes - often heart disease - before their prostate cancer shortens their lifespan, the authors note in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"Our goal was to make absolutely sure we identified the people that we thought would be the absolute safest," said senior author Dr. H. Ballentine Carter of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

In the U.S., about 30 to 40 percent of men who would qualify for active surveillance for prostate cancer take that option. That proportion that has slowly increased over time but still lags behind other countries, Carter told Reuters Health.

The researchers followed 1,268 men, mostly in their 60s, diagnosed with low-risk or very low-risk prostate cancer in the 2000s.

As part of active surveillance, the men had twice-yearly rectal exams and blood tests for prostate specific antigen (PSA) to measure increases or decreases in the protein produced by the prostate gland. An increase in PSA can signal prostate cancer progression to higher-risk status. The men also had annual prostate biopsies.

Of the whole group, 650 were followed for at least five years and 184 were followed for at least 10 years.

Cilla Black Died From Stroke After Fall

Cilla Black died of a stroke after falling and hitting her head at her Spanish villa, her sons have confirmed.

The 72-year-old was sunbathing on her private terrace at her villa in Estepona when she got up, lost her balance and fell.

A post-mortem examination revealed she was knocked unconscious and died of a stroke.

She would not have suffered, a family statement added.

Black's three sons say they are "devastated by the sad loss of our mother".

They said: "We have been deeply touched by all the kind messages of support from her friends, fans, the public and media.

"We would like to thank everyone, especially the people of Liverpool. The tributes and condolences have really helped us through these difficult times.

"The Spanish authorities have now told us we are able to bring Mum home, which we hope to do as quickly as possible. We would also like to thank all those involved for their assistance with this matter. We respectfully request for our continued privacy to grieve."

Funeral details have yet to be released.

Zayn Malik Calls Off Engagement - Reports

Former One Direction star Zayn Malik has reportedly called off his engagement to pop singer Perrie Edwards.

The 22-year-old, who quit the group in March, saying he wanted to feel "normal", has left his now-ex-fiancee devastated, according to People magazine.

A source said: "She's been putting on a brave face as Little Mix (Edwards' band) have had promotion to do but she's obviously devastated."

The two first met in 2011, dating a year later and becoming engaged in August 2013.

Their relationship appeared to be in trouble when Malik was pictured in a close embrace with Lauren Richardson in March, although both have always denied anything happenedAs recently as Edwards' 22nd birthday on 10 July, when Malik whisked her away for a romantic break, however, things between the two seemed fine.

But Malik is understood to have contacted Edwards two weeks ago to end their relationship.

"Perrie's being supported by her bandmates, but she's really in pieces about this," the source added.

Malik and Edwards are both in Los Angeles but are believed to have stayed away from each other since the break-up, and she has now taken off her diamond engagement ring, according to an Instagram post by her bandmate Jesy Nelson.

Malik's representative has not commented on the news and Malik's twitter account gives no clues. His last tweet - "morning" - on 2 August gained 121,000 re-tweets and 171,000 favourites.

Edwards' agent has also declined to comment.

No Autographs Or Gifts For Cumberbatch As Hamlet

A theatre in London is putting in extra measures to cope with an expected influx of Benedict Cumberbatch's dedicated fans as he takes to the stage as Hamlet this week.

The Sherlock star's run of shows at the Barbican has become one of the most hotly anticipated performances in recent years.

Tickets have already sold out but theatre staff are expecting crowds of the actor's fans, known as Cumberbitches, to turn up at the theatre from Wednesday.

A spokeswoman said they have put plans in place to make sure people queuing for tickets will be safe and comfortable.

But adoring fans have been warned that waiting outside the Stage Door will not reward them with a moment with the actor.

"We are advising all ticket holders that Benedict Cumberbatch won't be able to sign autographs afterwards and that our staff can't accept deliveries at Stage Door or Box Office," the spokeswoman told Sky News.

Cumberbatch stars alongside Sian Brooke as Ophelia and Ciaran Hinds as Claudius in Lyndsey Turner's production which will run for 12 weeks until 31 October.

It is thought some fans are flying from as far away as New Zealand, where Cumberbatch filmed The Hobbit, to see him on stage.

Sky News approached his representative for a comment about how he is feeling ahead of the show but was told he is "too busy rehearsing".

Thirty £10 day tickets will be available for each performance which will be sold from the advance ticket desk in the Barbican Centre from 10.30am every day.

There may also be returned or late release tickets available on the day of the performance.

In 2012 Cumberbatch told the Daily Telegraph he had been "interested" in the role of the Danish Prince for a while.

He follows in the footsteps of many other British actors including David Tennant, Jude Law and Simon Russell Beale.

Frozen Fans Find Beijing 2022 Song Familiar

Organisers of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing have been accused of copying Frozen's hit track Let It Go for one of their official songs.

The release of the song, titled The Snow And Ice Dance, is causing controversy in China and around the world.

The twinkly opening bars of the song will sound very familiar to the millions of people who have watched the Disney movie.

:: Listen to Let It Go here

The tempo and mood of the Chinese song can definitely be compared to that of Idina Menzel's Oscar-winning song.

Let It Go has been one of the biggest ear-worms of the past year or so after the film became Disney's most successful ever.

So while it is not known if the similarity was a deliberate decision, it has certainly annoyed some people.

One user wrote on the video's YouTube page: "Let it fake, let it fake. The copyright never bothered me anyway........."

Another person wrote: "Nice rip off, do you Chinese have ANY originality at all? Or do you just copy everything everyone else makes/produces and do it much cheaper?"

The Snow And Ice Dance is one of 10 official songs for the games, which were awarded to Beijing on Friday.

There have been some concerns about the decision, considering the city is not known for its heavy snowfall.

Perhaps Princess Elsa will be able to help out with that ...

50 Cent Reveals His $108k A Month Expenses

Rapper 50 Cent has revealed in a court filing for his bankruptcy case that he spends $108,000 (£69,000) a month on expenses.

The singer and actor said he has a monthly income of $185,000 (£118,000), which is mainly from royalties and interest on his investments.

However, he stated that he pays $72,000 (£46,000) a month to maintain his mansion in Hartford, Connecticut, including $5,000 (£3,200) a month on gardening.

50 Cent filed for bankruptcy last month after jurors in New York ordered him to pay $7m (£4.4m) to a woman who said he posted a narrated sex tape she made with a boyfriend online.

His court filing on Monday says he owes money to his stylist, barber and fitness coach.

The rapper was born Curtis Jackson III.

His album Get Rich Or Die Tryin' helped make him one of the world's best-selling artists.

He is due back in bankruptcy court Wednesday.