Although there are now many new treatments for advanced prostate cancer, hormone therapy (ADT) has remained the standard of care for the last 70 years. While hormone therapy can provide pain relief, it is never curative. Long-term hormone therapy produces decreased quality of life. Men treated with hormone therapy have weight gain, experience impotence, decreased [...]
Not terribly surprising, but recent research shows that less than one-third of all cancer survivors of adult cancers in the United States ever had conversations with their healthcare providers about their psychosocial needs. The latest study showing this was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 This study was a large population-based study of 1777 [...]
The US Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense yesterday marked-up their version of the FY14 Defense Appropriations Act. The full committee is scheduled to mark up tomorrow Thursday). The following is an excerpt from the committee’s summary of the bill: Significant increases to DoD medical research efforts, including: o $200 million for the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research [...]
The new Health Care law (Obamacare) is scheduled to take effect in 2014 with the first open enrollment period beginning on October 1, 2013. That is only 2 months away! We all have hear the constant din about the new law, but most of us don't have the slightest understanding of how it will work. [...]
One of the more common side effects of primary prostate cancer treatment with any form of x-ray or ionizing radiation is known as radiation proctitis and the related radiation colitis. Radiation proctitis is inflammation and damage to surrounding organs and tissue caused by stray radiation. Radiation proctitis most commonly occurs after treatment for many different [...]
A press release made yesterday brought some bad news to the advanced prostate cancer community. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) announced that it has un-blinded and stopped the ELM-PC 5 Phase 3 study (C21005) of orteronel plus prednisone compared to placebo plus prednisone in patients with metastatic, castration- resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) that had progressed [...]
Yesterday we did have some good news for cancer survivors which didn’t get any significant attention. Most of the media attention from yesterday’s congressional budget vote was focused on an amendment dealing with NSA surveillance, the House did actually vote on final passage on the FY14 Defense Appropriations bill which included funding for the Department [...]
The New England Journal of Medicine just published a very appealing and easy to understand video about Xofigo dichloride (Radium 223 or Alpharadin), the newly FDA approved treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer who have developed bone metastasis. The short video can be viewed at: N.E. Journal Xofigo Video Joel T. Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.
All of us on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) know that without testosterone our bodies change and we will develop insulin resistance, the precursor to diabetes. In a just very small, just published study investigators examined if endurance training would improve insulin sensitivity and body composition in men being treated with ADT for their advanced prostate [...]
In an interview about radium 223 with Medscape Medical News, Dr. Vapiwala pointed out that radium-223 is the first alpha-emitter to reach the market, and described it as a "breakthrough for radiopharmaceuticals" and "another breakthrough for prostate cancer," as it joins several other agents that have recently been approved for this disease. She characterized the [...]
