Finally, on Monday, Dendreon announced that it completed its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) application for the approval of Provenge (sipuleucel-T). Provenge is designed as a vaccine that stimulates the body's own immune system to fight prostate cancer. It is a different type of vaccine from what most of us knows as it is given [...]
Medivation, Inc. (MDVN) has formally begun its phase III trial of the investigational drug MDV3100 with men who have advanced prostate cancer. The clinical trial known as AFFIRM will evaluate the novel androgen receptor antagonist, MDV3100, in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer who were previously treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. AFFIRM is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, [...]
One of the most heated debates in prostate cancer care is around the use of 5-reductase inhibitors (5ARI) like Dutasteride as a third component of a hormone blockade (ADT3). 5-ARIs block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is thought to be an extremely powerful “fuel” for the growth of prostate cancer. However, there [...]
The relatively new drug, denosumab, has proven itself very effective for men on a hormone blockade (ADT). In a recently completed 3-year, randomized, double-blind study at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, denosumab significantly increased bone mineral density and decreased new vertebral fractures in men receiving ADT for the treatment of advanced prostate [...]
Scott Goodwin who periodically has been writing about his journey taking chemotherapy has given us a very moving update. Sadly, Scott is not doing well physically, but he is continuing his valiant fight against this insipid disease. - JTN I thought I would send a much overdue update on my progress with chemo, etc. I [...]
There is a provenge clinical trial which is currently recruiting participants. Remember, as with all trials, you must fit all of the criteria to participate. This trial does not use a placebo, you are guaranteed to receive the treatment if you are approved to participate. The trial sites are: * Park Ridge, Illinois * Greenbelt, [...]
According to a randomized study run and reported by William D.Figg, PharmD, head of the Molecular Pharmacology Section of the Centerfor Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, in Bethesda, MD. And published online January 23, 2009 in the Journal of Urology (Vol. 181, pp.1104-13), Thalidomide may be effective for the treatment of men who [...]
At the ASCO Annual meeting in Orlando Florida, Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. announced perliminary results from their ongoing Phase II clinical trials of their much discussed investigational drug abiraterone acetate (CB7630). The company released some preliminary encouraging data in three separate poster presentations. First, I want to tell you what abiraterone acetate is. In scientific jargon [...]
I compiled a list of trials that are activily recruiting men with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) who have also failed chemotherapy (taxotere). Being at this point in the disease process is by far the scariest time. We face the reality that there are no more approved treatments available to control the cancer. Clinical trials [...]
OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OGXI) announced that it's experimental product, OGX-011, also known as custirsen sodium, received fast track designation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of progressive metastatic prostate cancer in combination with first-line docetaxel treatment (chemotherapy). OGXI had previously received this same designation for second-line docetaxel treatment with OGX-011 [...]
