Researchers in Hong Kong wanted to confirm the efficacy of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) used prior to chemotherapy that had been shown in the trial setting. In their analysis they came up short; raising some very significant concerns about Zytiga’s efficacy when used prior to chemotherapy. They reviewed the clinical records of men with metastatic castrate [...]
Prostate cancer treatment will change as we incorporate new studies into our clinical practice. One of the major emerging new trends is the earlier use of chemotherapy with androgen therapy (ADT) in men, including men who are still hormone responsive. This changing trend comes from the results from there pivotal randomized phase III trials: GETUG15, [...]
In a sudden reversal of its prior opinion the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued final guidance recommending Janssen’s Zytiga (abiraterone) to treat advanced prostate cancer before chemotherapy. Its prior recommendation was not to approve Zytiga. TAccording to NICE their decision to change their December 2015 recommendation follows the submission [...]
The PSA flare phenomenon when first starting chemotherapy with docetaxel has been noted by many clinicians. To evaluate this flare in men with castrate resistant prostate cancer treated with docetaxel, researchers retrospectively evaluated the charts of 56 men who received docetaxel-based chemotherapy in three different centers from August 1999 to August 2007. They found that [...]
The phase III trials for both Xtandi and Zytiga were similar. Both trials investigated men who progressed or died against placebo. Only 14% of men taking Xtandi during the trial progressed or died compared to 40% of the men in the placebo group. In the phase III trial of Zytiga 28% of the men [...]
Since we have many new treatments for men with castrate resistant metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC) (advanced prostate cancer) we need to develop earlier indicators of when a treatment might or might not be successful. A decline in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used to monitor treatment response, but it has not been validated as an [...]
Randomized trials have clearly demonstrated that when low dose Prednisone (P) is combined with docetaxel chemotherapy (D) to treat prostate cancer there is a survival benefit. What is the role of the prednisone and does it actually provide any additional benefit to the docetaxel treatment itself? To answer this question a retrospective study was performed [...]
Presented at ASCO GU by Stolten and colleagues was abstract 244 that described the responses African American men had to abiraterone (Zytiga) in a retrospective cohort study of men seen at a single institution. Stolten included differences in the men including their age at diagnosis, prior enzalutamide (Xtandi) and/or docetaxel (chemotherapy) use, as well as [...]
The drugs called PARP inhibitors have been increasing discussed in the world of prostate cancer. There is every good reason to believe that we will continue to hear more about them and for certain select men with prostate cancer they will probably become a part of their treatment. In a recent paper published in the [...]
Having chemotherapy causes all sorts of strains and difficulties. One almost universal side effect from chemotherapy is the difficulty many of us face in getting enough nutrition. Nutrition comes from eating food yet many of us just don't feel hungry so eating is difficult. We lose our appetite, food tastes terrible and we battle nausea. [...]
