Predicting the Long-Term Survival of Men with A Biochemical Recurrence Post-Surgery Who Are Hormone Naive Can Change How We Treat Them

Appearing in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging a recent study provides data on the long-term survival of men with a biochemical recurrence after failed surgery. In the study by Giovacchini et al. it was shown that a PET/CT scan (specifically a [11C] choline PET/CT) could predict the long-term survival of men [...]

Is Delaying The Start of ADT Safe for Prostate Cancer Patients?

A recently previewed (prior to the upcoming ASCO Annual Meeting) of a large study shows that men with prostate cancer who had a PSA-based relapse (Biochemical Recurrence) could delay starting androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) until they started experiencing symptoms from the cancer. They found that this delay would not affect the men’s long-term survival. The [...]

The Twists and Turns For Provenge

It was announced today that preliminary results from the Phase II STAND trial demonstrates continued and what is described as a robust immune response with Provenge (sipuleucel-T) that continues two years after completing treatment in men with biochemically-recurrent prostate cancer (BRPC). This finding, along with data from the ongoing Phase IV registry PROCEED trial, are [...]

*Smoking Doubles the Chance That Men with Prostate Cancer Will Die From the Cancer

In a new study it was shown that smoking doubles the chances that a prostate cancer survivor will have the cancer spread and that he would die from the cancer. Study co-author Dr. Michael Zelefsky, Vice Chair of Clinical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center said, "Basically we [...]

PSA Doubling Time and Seminal Vesicle Invasion at the Time of Surgery Are Predictors for Successful Salvage Radiation

There was a recent Norwegian study which reviewed the impact of salvage external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) on post-prostatectomy patients. They evaluated long-term follow-up on biochemical-free recurrence (PSA only recurrence) (BFR) and metastatic-free survival. He study also described the pathological and clinical predictors of outcome. The study was conducted between 1987–2010. It included 76 men with [...]

Lack of PSA Decline as an Independent Predictor of Biochemical Failure Post Salvage Radiation Therapy

It would be of great advantage to us if we were able to improve the early detection of responders to salvage external beam radiotherapy (RT) after failed radical prostatectomy (RP). Early detection would allow us to make earlier treatment decisions which should provide for better results. In an attempt to better improve our understanding of [...]

The Well Reviewed Guide to Advanced Prostate Cancer (A Survivor Perspective) Has Been Updated and is Now Available for a free Download

Somehow I have been negligent and not let people know that I have written and posted a major update of my “Guide to Advanced Prostate Cancer.” As in the past, it is available as a free download from the Malecare web site. Helping me to update the book was prostate cancer survivor Craig Pynn and [...]