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 constant hope and conversation of late has surrounded what is referred to as a liquid biopsy. The hope and goal is to no longer need to have an invasive needle biopsy to diagnose and stage prostate cancer. Biopsies are not accurate because there are too many false negatives, they only evaluate the actual tissue [...]
In an article in Time (3/7 Sweetland Edwards) there is a discussion about the failure of the Affordable Care Act to stop patients from receiving “surprise” bills from their medical providers for services provided. These surprises result from people going to a medical facility, which is in their Network but having some service, provided by [...]
Researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute along with other cancer centers, in the largest analysis of its kind have found that the organ site where prostate cancer spreads has a direct impact on a man’s survival. They found that men with lymph-only metastasis statistically have the longest overall survival possibility, while those with liver involvement [...]
There have been a number of studies that have linked male pattern baldness with a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. A possible explanation for why baldness is a risk factor for the development of prostate cancer is that hormones play a role in both baldness and in prostate cancer. We known that baldness joins [...]
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 [...]
It has been announced that two important players in the fight against prostate cancer in New Zealand and Australia, ANZUP Cancer Trials Group (ANZUP) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) will work together to fund and implement new clinical trials. ANZUP, which is one of the leading collaborative trials group for urogenital and [...]
All Radiation therapy for cancer treatment, including both primary and adjuvant, is non-specific and kills not only cancer cells that it is targeting, but also healthy cells that happen to be in the target area. A common side effect on healthy cells is radiation burn. Radiation burn is characterized with skin, within the target area, [...]
