It is generally agreed that prostate cancer which is still 100% confined to the prostate gland is curable using local therapies like radiation or surgery, but when it has left the prostate gland and becomes metastatic it is no longer curable. Treatment for metastatic prostate cancer is intended to make the prostate cancer a chronic [...]
Extra radiation will not keep the doctor away, so why do we use it? According to a recent study published in the Oct. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association most men who are given radiation to control pain from bone metastasis accompanying advanced prostate cancer undergo more treatments than they really [...]
Whenever we take a drug, whether it's in injectable or an oral drug it must be cleared from our bodies otherwise it can become toxic to us. Unfortunately, our ability to clear drugs varies from individual to individual. These different abilities are often related to genetic differences we each have from one another. Doing of [...]
Suzanne Somers is a well known actress and also a well known cancer survivor. Her book, "Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who are Curing Cancer and How to Prevent Getting it in the First Place" has made a very positive impression on many people, including many doctors who have strongly objected to her writings. I want [...]
OncLive Peer Exchange has put out a video about the issues that most concern many of us surrounding the use of Provenge (Sipuleucel-T). The video is a 9 minute discussion with Drs. Raoul Concepcion (moderator), Leonard Gomella, Lawrence Karsh, Evan Yu and Mark Scholtz. They examine the concern that so many men with advanced prostate [...]
According to Albert Camus, “Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” The transition from patient under active treatment to being just an everyday cancer survivor can be a most challenging experience for many of us. Our surgical scars and the radiation burns have subsided and those that remain are [...]
Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) and Ketoconazole (keto) are both widely used in prostate cancer therapy to treat men with advanced prostate cancer. They both have a common mechanism of action, they both work by inhibiting the enzyme CYP17 that is responsible for androgen biosynthesis (creation). Inhibiting CYP17 lowers testosterone levels, which results in prostate cancer tumor regression. Because [...]
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has begun to support the reporting and use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of symptoms as secondary end points in clinical trials for oncology treatment. These outcomes measures are likely to become increasingly important for oncology patients as they will hopefully become part of the drug label. [...]
All of the Americans who receive their insurance benefits from Medicare need to become aware that the Medicare Open Enrollment Period will begin this coming October 15. What is the Medicare open enrollment period?During this open enrollment period you can make new choices and pick plans that work best for you depending upon your doctors [...]
Prostate cancer can impact the quality of life, having a major effect on patients' day-to-day life and overall well-being. According to a new Canadian survey of men who have or have had prostate cancer, prostate cancer’s physical manifestations can also lead to psychological and social concerns, both of which are more pronounced for those with [...]
