Understanding how to best sequence and combine our new drugs to treat advanced prostate cancer includes the most discussed issue, efficacy. We want to know if a special order or a special combination of the approved drugs will nake a difference in both our quality of life (QoL) as well as how survival. Often [...]
We know that Abiraterone (Zytiga) extends life, but we also know that its side effects can be harsh, especially in elderly men (men over 75 years). We also know that men with metastatic, castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have a limited potential life expectancy. Given these facts, it is important to know if, despite being [...]
I have been relatively quiet about the skyrocketing cost of drugs, but it has now become impossible to remain out of the fray. A Pharmaceutical company recently acquired a drug called Daraprim, the drug treats potentially fatal parasitic infections. After its acquisition the company raised the price of Daraprim by almost 5,0000%. When confronted with [...]
As I have said before, the next big step in the clinical care of men with prostate cancer will be in not in the development of a new drug, but in our growing knowledge of how to sequence and combine our new drugs. Today’s post provides just one example of this new type of breakthrough [...]
Because of the large amount of prostate cancer screening there has been a major shift in initial staging in prostate cancer in western countries, with the incidence of metastases at diagnosis decreasing from over 50% in the 1970s to currently less than 10%. Despite this very significant drop in late stage diagnoses prostate cancer is [...]
There have been some randomized studies that have shown that when prednisone is used in combination with docetaxel (chemotherapy) there is an improved survival in men who have metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). To add to our understanding of the possible clinical value of this combination of drugs some researchers have retrospectively evaluated whether the [...]
The standard of care and the facts are simple. Men who have aggressive prostate cancer and elect to have radiation therapy will benefit from six months of concurrent hormone therapy (ADT). However, based on recent findings by D’Amico etal, there seems to be a segment of men who will not benefit, but will have inferior [...]
The Prostate Cancer Patient Action Leadership Council will meet in late October to plan advocacy events and activities for 2016. You are invited to join. Please sign up at: http://malecare.org/about/survivor-family-friends-advisory-board/
Xgeva, also known as denosumab, is an injectable medication (injected once a month subcutaneously under the skin in the doctor’s office) that is used to prevent bone fractures and spinal cord compression caused by bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer survivors. Solid tumors in the bone, which is a common site for individuals with [...]
FROM this blog on September 9, 2015 ) According to Michael Jan, MD, and his collaborators at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden those of us who are experiencing high levels of stress need to be cautious. Their findings boil down to the fact that our stress could allow our prostate cancer to kill us. [...]
