Most of the newly approved drugs and treatments for men with advanced prostate cancer are designed and approved to be used independently of other advanced prostate cancer treatments, other than with the continuation of standard androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The newly approved drug, Xofigo, is different. It has been designed to supplement, or actually go [...]
A study from Michael T. Schweizer, MD, and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Md. concluded that the longer the metastasis-free survival after a radical prostatectomy the longer overall survival in men who experience biochemical recurrence (PSA only recurrence) of their prostate cancer. This conclusion was made from a retrospectively study of 450 men [...]
Recently men with advanced prostate cancer have found that their insurance companies have been dictating what drugs they can get instead of their doctor making the best decision for them. At Malecare we have seen that when a man with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has finished taking chemotherapy they have been steered by [...]
Enzalutamide (Xtandi) monotherapy induced striking declines in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in a majority of patients with hormone-naive prostate cancer in a phase II trial, and this oral agent appears to have little effect on bone mineral density. If these findings are confirmed in a phase III trial, then enzalutamide may be an alternative to androgen [...]
The following post is actually a response to a listserve issue over the side effects of Xofigo. I decided to post my response here to avoid the limit of lines allowed on the listserve and because I feel that it is also of interest to my regular readers of this blog. My response is using [...]
Although there are now many new treatments for advanced prostate cancer, hormone therapy (ADT) has remained the standard of care for the last 70 years. While hormone therapy can provide pain relief, it is never curative. Long-term hormone therapy produces decreased quality of life. Men treated with hormone therapy have weight gain, experience impotence, decreased [...]
Not terribly surprising, but recent research shows that less than one-third of all cancer survivors of adult cancers in the United States ever had conversations with their healthcare providers about their psychosocial needs. The latest study showing this was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 This study was a large population-based study of 1777 [...]
One of the more common side effects of primary prostate cancer treatment with any form of x-ray or ionizing radiation is known as radiation proctitis and the related radiation colitis. Radiation proctitis is inflammation and damage to surrounding organs and tissue caused by stray radiation. Radiation proctitis most commonly occurs after treatment for many different [...]
The New England Journal of Medicine just published a very appealing and easy to understand video about Xofigo dichloride (Radium 223 or Alpharadin), the newly FDA approved treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer who have developed bone metastasis. The short video can be viewed at: N.E. Journal Xofigo Video Joel T. Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.
All of us on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) know that without testosterone our bodies change and we will develop insulin resistance, the precursor to diabetes. In a just very small, just published study investigators examined if endurance training would improve insulin sensitivity and body composition in men being treated with ADT for their advanced prostate [...]
