Understanding a little about the prostate gland and its biology is not only interesting, but it allows us to ask some important questions that can be very specific to our prostate cancer treatment decisions and our eventual outcomes from these decisions. It also can simply add to the confusion we all face in making the [...]
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has received approval and launched, in the United States, a generic version of the Avodart (dutasteride) capsules at the 0.5 mg dose. Avodart, 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, is FDA approved for the treatment of men with benign prostate hyperplasia (an enlarged prostate gland), however, although not approved; men often use it as a [...]
Intermittent hormone therapy (IHT) as opposed to continuous hormone therapy (CHT) provides a better quality of life (QoL) for men with locally advanced prostate cancer. However, there is a debate created by a few major research protocols that have been inconclusive as to the difference in achieving the ultimate goal, survival despite prostate cancer. Researchers [...]
Traditional hormone therapy usually consists of two types of drugs; GnRH agonists (like Lupron and Zoladex) and antiandrogens (Casodex). Although they both are drugs that manipulate the hormone system their modes of action are different. GnRH agonists block the production of the male hormone testosterone while the antiandrogen drug blocks the ability of the prostate [...]
During last year’s American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) Annual Meeting, data was released from the STAMPEDE trial which should change clinical practice around the world. The trial results showed that newly diagnosed men with very aggressive prostate cancer that was still hormone therapy naive (no ADT) would have a very significant survival advantage by [...]