A small study from one hospital in Norway has suggested that PSA doubling times after surgery may predict the value of salvage radiation therapy alone as a second line form of therapy. Servoll et al carried out a small retrospective analysis of data derived from 76 men treated by salvage external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) [...]
A Small study suggests that alternating testosterone levels may make hormonal therapy work longer A recent very small study was published that might lend a new light on hormone therapy for advanced prostate cancer, Bipolar ADT. This study suggests that a new treatment strategy might be effective where men alternate between low and high levels [...]
There has been some surprising and unexpected news recently reported by John’s Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Testosterone, which is believed to be a feeder of prostate cancer has been found to also suppress some advanced prostate cancers and also may reverse resistance the to the testosterone-blocking drugs (ADT) used to treat advanced prostate cancer. The [...]
Traditionally, the FDA makes its regulatory decisions based solely on demonstrated safety and provable increases in meaningful survival data. The FDA asks, Will a new treatment that is being considered for approval be able to extend our life longer than the current standard of care? They also ask if it will extend our life is [...]
According to Prostate Cancer UK The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released its second draft decision on the availability of radium-223 (Xofigo). Different from the original draft this draft recommends that radium-223 be made available on the NHS for men with advanced prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy [...]
A few weeks during a devistating manufactoring problem and eventual shut down of all production many men who were relying on Xofigo (radium-233 dichloride) were put into the untenable position of missing their scheduled doses. There was mass confusion about what to do in this circumstance. Men and their doctors didn't know if they should [...]
As of January 1, 2015 there will be some significant changes in the billing and reimbursement schedule for men receiving Bayer healthcare’s radium Ra223 dichloride (Xofigo). Xofigo is FDA approved for the treatment of men with castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastatic disease. These changes result [...]
Recently there have been a number of conversations in the prostate media around the topic of treating oligometastatic prostate cancer with a curative goal. Oligometastatic prostate cancer describes the disease state where primary treatment has failed as evidenced by an increasing PSA along with scanning evidence of a limited number of lymph nodes involved in [...]
On Dec 2, 2014 Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted a variation that amends their marketing authorization for enzalutamide (Xtandi). Based on this amended authorization Xtandi is now approved in Europe for the treatment of adult men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic [...]
On December 7, 2014 the TV show 60 Minutes (CBS) aired a very interesting story (narrated by Dr. Sanjay Gupta) interview about an amazing sounding man, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shing. To describe him as a genius would be an unfair understatement. Dr. Soon-Shing is a billionaire who has already invested about $1 billion dollars of his [...]
