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 [...]
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 [...]
A post-surgery increase of PSA (usually three increases) is the definition for a prostate cancer recurrence. The best response after these increases is to radiate the prostate bed in hopes for stopping any stray cancer cells that had escaped prior to surgery. Using salvage radiation is the only remaining treatment modality that might allow a [...]
Stories abound about men who undergo prostate cancer surgery only to have the surgery halted when their doctor sees that the cancer has left the gland. The stories go that the doctor stops the surgery leaving the gland and any other visible tumors in place just as they found them. Current statistics indicate that one [...]
Confirming a belief of many of us, new research has found that hormone therapy (endocrine therapy or ADT) is associated with a very large increased risk of developing various major heart problems. This research also tells us that some therapy options have a higher risk profile than others. At Europe's biggest cancer congress, ECCO 15 [...]
Clinical trials are the lifeblood of new drug and treatment development. Trials allow us to learn what developing drugs and treatment are both safe and effective. Many drug developers complain about their inability to attract enough volunteers to reach a sample size that will allow them to draw statistically valid conclusions. Everyday there are trials [...]
Advanced prostate cancer will progress and most of us will face a time when Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) stops working. Most men on ADT take a LHRH agonist, which turns off the production of testosterone (i.e. Lupron) along with a non-steroidal anti-androgen (i.e. Casodex) that prevents the small amount of testosterone that continues to be [...]
The use of Docetaxel (chemotherapy) extends survival time in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Many researchers believe that platinum compounds, particularly Carboplatin, when added to docetaxel (taxane-based chemotherapy) can further extend survival times. A study at the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Investigated the efficacy [...]
Docetaxel (Taxotere), or chemotherapy, will as all other treatments for advanced prostate cancer stop working. Many of us will progress quickly to this stage and eventually face a situation where there are no longer any approved treatments available to control our prostate cancer. If you are lucky enough to have an oncologist who is creative [...]
