In 2013, Myriad Genetic failed – in a case that was heard in the United States Supreme Court - to patent the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. We all have these two genes which, when they mutate, are associated with breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. If Myriad succeeded, they would have controlled patents on these genes [...]
As drugs are developed they are given many different names, but the drug (or treatment) is the same despite its name. For us laymen, multiple names for the same drug is confusing. So, why are there so many different names for the same thing? Drugs usually have three different names; A chemical name that relates [...]
Historically, too many men were haphazardly treated for prostate cancer. Happily, the incidents of over treatment have been declining and the general acceptance of Active Surveillance has emerged as the preferred management strategy for men with very low–risk prostate cancer. However, There is still too few high-quality comparative effectiveness studies evaluating the incremental risks associated [...]
Today, I have some good news to share with you. Malecare, along with many other prostate cancer advocacy groups have been hard at work attempting to persuade members of Congress to not only maintain the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program (DoD PCRP), but to increase its funding for the next fiscal year. I [...]
According to researchers at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, men with a mutation in their VAC14 gene are more susceptible to Docetaxil chemotherapy induced neuropathy and nerve pain. This debilitating side effect results from damage to the peripheral nerves and is felt by the man as weakness, numbness and pain most [...]