Another small confirmatory study of acupuncture to treat the side effects of hormone deprivation (ADT) was published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology. The study found that acupuncture appears to provide long-lasting relief to hot flashes, heart palpitations, and anxiety due to side effects of hormone treatment for prostate cancer. […]
I recently made a video with Dr. James Mckiernan of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City on the use of Zometa (zoledronic acid) to combat bone metastases in advanced prostate cancer that is castrate resistant. Novartis Oncology, the makers of Zometa, sponsored the video and it was produced on the Wego Health web page. [...]
April 2011 was one of those months that I can look back on and smile. It was filled with love, vindication, and fun. The love part was when I had the opportunity to preside over the nuptials of one of my oldest friends. It was a chilly Sunday morning, Palm Sunday to be exact, when [...]
The FDA approval of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) for men with advanced prostate cancer defines the men who qualify to receive the drug. To qualify you must have advanced prostate cancer and meet all of the three criteria below: 1- Men who are metastatic. 2- Men who failed hormone therapy also known as castrate resistant or [...]
The long awaited FDA approval of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate), a once-daily oral agent, for the treatment of castration-resistant, metastatic prostate cancer following docetaxel chemotherapy has happened! Malecare celebrates this approval as it celebrates the significant numbers of new drug approvals we have had over the last year and one half. The approval of Zytiga represents [...]
As usual with prostate cancer there is no general agreement about whether or not men who are on a hormone blockade (ADT) to treat prostate cancer should be taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, however there does seem to be some consensus that they should. Given that there are geographic and seasonal variations in vitamin [...]
An AP medical writer, Mike Stobb, wrote an interesting and unusual article about a survey that was conducted asking if people would be willing to spend everything they have on aggressive treatments that might prolong their life. The survey concluded that blacks and other minorities with cancer are more likely than whites to say they [...]
There have been a number of recent studies that show that statins, (cholesterol lowering medications like Lipitor) can also lower PSA and even stop the progression of localized prostate cancer from progressing. I have not been able to locate any good study that does indicate that statin medications actually stop disease progression, however I am [...]
The battle to make sure that Provenge is available nationally (in the United States) to all men who meet the FDA approval requirements is continuing. We have made great steps through the “noise” that the community has made to date. We have successfully reached, what I believe is, the final step in insuring that Provenge [...]
Results from a recent international randomized phase II trial for the drug tasquinimod (TASQ), shows that TASQ is a potential therapy for men with advanced prostate cancer. The men who received TASQ on average went twice as long without disease progression as those who received only a placebo. […]
