I was asked if there was one item that was a real game changer at the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) meeting for men with advanced prostate cancer. The answer is yes, at this meeting it was formally shown by a study that starting chemotherapy (docetaxel) along with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in some [...]
Given all the newly approved drugs available to us to treat advanced prostate cancer there now are many questions about the optimal sequencing of these drugs and whether earlier use of one causes cross-resistance to another. Recently, it was reported that chemotherapy with docetaxel is inactive in men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) [...]
The explosion of new therapies for men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) raises serious questions about the optimal sequencing of these new treatments as well as whether cross-resistance occurs between these drugs. It was recently reported that chemotherapy with docetaxel (D) is not effective in in men who did not have a ? [...]
Administering chemotherapy using docetaxel (taxotere or T) on a bi-weekly basis with prednisone improved progression free survival and overall survival when compared with the standard tri-weekly schedule for men with advanced castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) (Lancet Oncol. 2013;14:117-124). However, quality of life (QoL) differences have not been evaluated. In a trial to evaluate the [...]
Since its FDA approval in 2011 FDA abiraterone (Zytiga) has supplanted docetaxel (chemotherapy), other than perhaps Provenge, as preferred first-line treatment for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. August 2012 saw the FDA approval of enzalutamide (Xtandi) for the treatment of castrate-resistant prostate cancer after chemotherapy. Researchers performed a retrospective chart review at a large medical oncology [...]
An important update from the phase III PREVAIL study (Xtandi in the pre-chemotherapy stage) was released thsi evening (actually yesterday evening) in advance of a formal presentation this Thursday at ASCO GU. The news is good, no the news is great. Last November the trial of Xtandi in men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer [...]
My post to this blog that was written yesterday indicated that for certain men the early use of chemotherapy (docetaxil) could provide significant life extending benefits, especially for men with very advanced prostate cancer. For the purpose of clarification, in this case early use means in men who are still hormone responsive. Given that chemotherapy [...]
When I was first diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer one of the first questions that I asked my doctor was whether it made sense for me to start chemotherapy immediately. I very clearly remember him telling me that there was absolutely no evidence that starting chemotherapy at this early stage would do anything to extend [...]
Mama might have been correct, eat your yogurt. Many of us already know that a healthy gut with plenty of probiotics to support your gastrointestinal health is absolutely critical to boosting your immune system. Experts say that gut flora could account for as much as 80% of our immune system! A study from the University [...]
The first line of treatment for advanced prostate cancer is Androgen (male hormone) Deprivation Therapy or ADT. Once the PSA progresses (climbs) while still on ADT and with testosterone levels
