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 [...]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with protecting the general health and well being of Americans with medicines and certain treatment equipment. Sometimes these medications or treatment equipment fail, don't work as indicated or cause serious, life threatening side effects. Reporting these events is important so the FDA can track and monitor these [...]
According to an article in today’s USA Today, many more doctors will not be accepting medical insurance plans offered through Affordable Care Act exchanges. The reason cited is that these plans often have lower reimbursement rates than the commercial plans. The article indicated that “some doctors are limiting how many new patients they take with [...]
The good news for us is that the survival of men diagnosed with prostate cancer has improved over time. The current 10-year relative survival rate is 99.7%! However, the long survival of men who have prostate cancer raises questions about their risk of a second primary cancer and the need for continued surveillance. A very [...]
The world wide supply of Xofigo (radium Ra-223 dichloride) available for patients will run out on October 10, 2014. Xofigo is the newly FDA approved treatment for men with castrate resistant metastatic prostate cancer (CRPC) with bone metastases without any known visceral metastases. Individual batches of drugs are inspected prior to release to patients. Bayer’s [...]
Oligometastasis can be described as a state of limited metastatic disease following failed primary treatment or even prostate cancer as it is first diagnosed. Many doctors believe that it is amenable to aggressive local therapy to achieve long-term survival. In a review designed to explore the role of ablative radiotherapy and surgical management of oligo-metastatic [...]
A man in the advanced prostate cancer online support group has asked, “Why the radiation (external beam to relieve bone pain from prostate cancer and to protect the bones from fractures) is given in so many "mini" doses rather than one or two larger doses. The answer is it doesn't necessarily have to be delivered [...]
Randy Sheffield, a member of the Malecare Advanced Prostate Cancer Online support group recently has had his fight with advanced prostate cancer made even more complex when he developed Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). ONJ is an uncommon but terrible side effect of taking bisphosphonates. Randy wrote a warning to all the members of the [...]
Somehow I have been negligent and not let people know that I have written and posted a major update of my “Guide to Advanced Prostate Cancer.” As in the past, it is available as a free download from the Malecare web site. Helping me to update the book was prostate cancer survivor Craig Pynn and [...]
As prostate cancer progresses so does the pain we will suffer. In the normal course we will also progress on to different drugs to help control the pain. Opioids are one of the most common of these drugs prescribed to help control pain. As with all drugs opioids have many side effects. One of the [...]
