One question that needs more attention is why are gay men and lesbians excluded from participating in certain medical studies? A little over a year ago a letter written by three scientists from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine. The letter cited several dozen clinical trials [...]
Men who inherit a mutation in the HOXB13 gene have a 10 to 20 times increased risk of developing prostate cancer, according to the study in the January 12, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Finally, the first major gene mutation associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer has been identified. [...]
Will the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) be able to optimize patient care with regard to both on-label and off-label drugs? CMS', at this time, has not shown itself to be either in favor or against new technology or the introduction of new uses for drugs. They still seem interested in promoting access [...]
One of the common side effects reported from chemotherapy with Taxotere is neuropathy. In the trial used to receive FDA approval, TAX 327 which had 332 patients. In that trial the following percentage of men reported incidents of neuropathy: Neuropathy Sensory- Nerve damage causing tingling or pain, usually in feet or hands: Any Grade- 30.4% [...]
Over the years there has been discussion about using Photo Dynamic Therapy to destroy internal tumors, including prostate cancer tumors. Until now it has only been a hope since there is no way to monitor the amount of light that is actually administered to an internal tumor. We currently use laser light in combination with [...]
Abstract No:101 at the recent ASCO Conference It is sad, but it is true, a subset of men presenting with advanced prostate cancer never receive proper therapy. This can be attributed to a variety of factors including poor functional status, co-morbidities, and patient preference. The researchers sought to determine the prevalence, and characteristics, of this [...]
At the 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium ASCO conference, Dr. Philip Kantoff (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA) suggested taking a personalized approach to the individualized treatment plan for all men suffering from advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Kantoff said, “Few patients with advanced prostate cancer are currently cured with ADT (but anecdotally, long-term survival [...]
Prior to the formal review, the FDA has raised questions about the ultimate approval of Amgen’s Xgeva (denosumab) for men with metastatic, advanced prostate cancer who have not yet developed metastasized to the bone. Xgeva has been shown to delay tumors spreading to bones, but it does not extend life, the holy grail of the [...]
Radium-223 choride, also known as Alpharadin, has demonstrated a small but statistically significant survival benefit in men with symptomatic metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). My expectation is that it will be approved by the FDA some time later this year. Additionally, my hope is that it will also be approved Europe. To read more [...]
The late-stage trial of Revlimid (lenalidomide) for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer has been discontinued after preliminary data shows that it does not extend survival! The independent monitoring committee recommended that the pivotal Phase III Mainsail trial be halted after it determined that adding Revlimid to standard treatments would not significantly increase the overall [...]
