There has been much conversation surrounding the use of intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD) as opposed to continuous androgen deprivation (CAD) in men with prostate cancer who need hormone therapy (ADT). The question that has been at issue is if either method is superior to the other. There have been studies that have concluded that they [...]
There are a number of different flavors of hormone therapy (ADT) used to treat advanced prostate cancer. However, they could be summed up and put into two different categories. 1- The use of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist therapy (drugs like Lupron and Zoladex) along with short term antiandrogen (AA) flare protection 2- Degarelix, a [...]
The drug Gabapentin is occasionally prescribed to help control hot flashes resulting from hormone deprivation therapy (ADT). Today, Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc. issued a voluntary nationwide recall of their Northstar Labeled Gabapentin Capsules, USP 300 mg 100 count bottle. The recall was issued on complaints about empty capsules in prescriptions received by patients. There is [...]
In the normal course of events node-positive prostate cancer has typically been excluded from clinical trials. This leaves our oncologists with little evidence to guide the management for those of us who have this flavor of prostate cancer. A recent anaylisis presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress begins to shed [...]
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and bone complications are the two near universals for men with advanced prostate cancer. A long-term follow up of fifteen (15) years after diagnosis of a population-based cohort of prostate cancer survivors proved to be very informative. The Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study, which enrolled 3533 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between [...]
Bayer Healthcare has announced that they will be resuming production of Xofigo® (radium Ra 223 dichloride) for new patients beginning on Monday, November 17th. Xofigo is the newly FDA approved radiopharmaceutical treatment for men with castrate resistant metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC) with bone metastases without any known visceral metastases. On October 8, 2014 Bayer informed [...]
It was announced this morning that Dendreon (the manufactures of Provenge) has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. After having spoken with a representative at Dendreon I have learned that the company has been in negotiations with its creditors and agreed to voluntarily file for financial reorganization. The agreement that Dendreon has reached with their [...]
When the FDA approved Abiraterone with prednisone (Zytiga) in the pre-chemotherapy stage they approved it after an interim analysis of data was performed of the phase III clinical trial (COU-AA-302), The analysis was performed by an independent data monitoring committee that found a significant difference in radiographic progression-free survival (scans that showed no tumor progression [...]
Bayer HealthCare has announced that they have now resumed production of Xofigo (Ra 223 dichloride). Bayer has indicated that an initial lot of Xofigo has already been released so some patients will be able to re-start their treatment as early as this week. Bayer is in the process of contacting treating physicians with the news. [...]
Degarelex (Firmagon) (approved by the FDA in December of 2008) is a hormonal therapy drug used to treat advanced prostate cancer that has become metastatic and castrate resistant (mCRPC). Degarelix is a GnRH receptor that binds to the pituitary GnRH receptors, reducing the release of gonadotropins leading to a quick and profound onset that blocks [...]
