We are in desperate need of validated biomarkers, which can serve as surrogates for survival. Currently, our doctors must make decisions about which drugs to use and how long to stay on these drugs without any scientific backup or consensus driven direction to their decisions. Our clinical trials for evaluating survival of potential new advanced [...]
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 [...]
In a recent publication it was suggested that radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) was highly consistent and highly associated with overall survival. This reproducible quantitative find could have implications for the interim measurement of treatment response in future studies, according to Dr. Michael J. Morris of Memorial Sloan [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
In yesterday's post I wrote about the possibility of looking for the presence of the splice variant ARV7 to determine if you would be resistant to enzalutamide (Xtandi). Today I am going to expand on this issue and discuss an additional study that demonstrated that the presence of ARV7 in circulating tumor cells not only [...]
Abiraterone Acetate (Zytiga) and enzalutamide (Xtandi) are the newest generation hormonal agents. They both have demonstrated a survival advantage in men with castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who have already been treated with docetaxel (chemotherapy). Unfortunately all men who are responsive to both of these drugs eventually become resistant. Some men are subject to early [...]
Now that we have new treatments available to fight advanced, metastatic prostate cancer we need ways to decide on the best treatments given that many of the treatments occupy the same disease space. This is especially important with the soaring costs of many treatments as well as the need to not waste time by giving [...]
In our quest to understand our prostate cancer we have developed many “measures” of our disease aggressiveness and progression. Many of these measures are generally accepted has valid, but many have never been validated. One example is the prognostic nature of PSA Doubling Time (PSADT) in men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (BRPC or PSA [...]
Current Prognostic models for overall survival (OS) for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have become dated. They don’t adequately reflect the many new drugs used in clinical practice. To develop a relevant model data from a phase III trial of 1,050 men with mCRPC were used (Cancer and Leukemia Group B CALGB-90401 [Alliance]) was evaluated. [...]
