I have received a number of e-mails from men who are both frustrated that Provenge is not yet approved and who are frustrated that even when approved they will not qualify to get the treatment. I understand the frustration and feel the same way. The first question is will the FDA approve Provenge? Only time [...]
Clinical Trials That Exclude Gay and Lesbian Patients By Darryl (published on Malecare’s blog at: prostatecancerblog.org The March 18, 2010 issue of *New England Journal of Medicine* (Volume 362, #11, March 18) includes a study: “Clinical Trials That Explicitly Exclude Gay and Lesbian Patients.” […]
I often try and steer a little clear of the most controversial of issues effecting those of us with prostate cancer, but despite personal opinions, the recent health care reform passed in the United States requires discussion. The reform legislation, besides representing the most sweeping social policy change in the U.S. in decades will have [...]
Roche Pharmaceuticals has reported that their clinical trial of Avastin in men with advanced prostate cancer did not improve their overall life expectancy. […]
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Trelstar – 22.5 mg (triptorelin pamoate for injectable suspension) at a dosage which will be required only to be administered twice a year. […]
The drug is called Cabazitaxel, (it will be named Jevtana) and is made by the French company Sanofi-Aventis SA. Cabazitaxel is a chemical cousin of Taxotere (the current standard of care) and it is designed to evade the mechanism that cancer cells use to resist Taxotere, so we can assume that initially it would be [...]
According to a Reuters report, a spokeswomen from the FDA said yesterday that, “There is not going to be an additional advisory committee meeting” about the current application for the approval of Provenge. The FDA has the right to convene another meeting to discuss the results of the IMPACT trial, but it now looks as [...]
We know that docetaxel chemotherapy (chemo) extends life, but which men might hope to experience an increase in survival? The Department of Urology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India performed a small study designed to evaluate the efficacy of docetaxel/prednisone and zoledronic acid in the treatment of men with hormone refractory prostate [...]
According to researchers from University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), Stereotactic Radio Surgery (SRS), which was developed at UPCI, can successfully control pain in patients with cancer that has spread to the spine. SRS is a procedure that precisely delivers a large dose of radiation directly to tumors. The researchers from UPCI, led by Dwight [...]
Provenge, a cancer vaccine, has demonstrated its ability to improve the survival of men with castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The developer, Dendreon, has submitted it latest clinical trial data to the FDA for approval. We hope to have an approval by mid-year 2010. Growth factors were thought to be potential targets for treating prostate [...]
