Pamidronate and zoledronic acid (bisphosphonates) are a mainstay in the treatment of men with advanced prostate cancer as well as for breast cancer survivors for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs). There have been many clinical trials comparing the efficacy and side effect profiles between pamidronate and zoledronic acid among men with advanced prostate cancer. [...]
Besides the blood problems and the gastric problems I discussed in the last two posts, taxotere can also cause hair loss and have effects on your skin and nails. The q3wk dose of taxotere (higher dose once every 3 weeks) is associated with reversible hair loss in two-thirds of men going on that schedule and [...]
Taxotere can cause severe irritation of the liver, so your liver functions must be monitored via regular blood tests. If the blood screens show you are developing liver problems a modification of your dosing or possibly stopping further infusions is warranted. Liver damage caused by taxotere is usually reversible when the drug is stopped, however [...]
One of the major problems faced by men on taxotere (chemotherapy) is anemia. Anemia is characterized as a low red blood cell count. It is often the cause of significant fatigue, another major complaint from men on chemotherapy. Aranesp® and Procrit® are both synthetic versions of the naturally occurring hormone, erythropoietin, that stimulates red blood [...]
Is there any reason to continue hormone therapy (ADT) while I have become castrate resistant and I’m starting chemotherapy? This is a common question that is asked by many of us. The real underlying question we are asking is: I feel so terrible now and I am getting ready to add chemotherapy with all of [...]
There have been a number of studies that have suggested that some common medications will alter prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA., investigated the impact of individual and combinations of common medications thought to impact PSA in a large cross-sectional study of the United States population. [...]
A reminder that the Malecare teleconference on advanced prostate cancer is today Conference Time: 6:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM CT, 4:00 PM MT, 3:00PM PT Participant Dialing Instructions: Toll Free Number: 1.800.868.1837 Direct Dial/Int’l Number: 1.404.920.6440 Conference Code: 786432# […]
Recent statistics projecting the cancer incidence in the United States for 2010 have a number of interesting items buried inside the data charts. I thought that three items were particularly interesting and relevant, so I want to share them with you. 1- The 2010 expected death rate per 100,000 cases for the "Good Cancer" (prostate [...]
We all know that hormone therapy (ADT2) stops the production of testosterone and blocks the little testosterone that might still be produced from entering into the prostate cancer cell to “feed” the cancer. There have been a number of studies that have investigated and concluded that ADT not only stops testosterone, but also has anti-vascular [...]
One of the more common experiences many of us have when fighting advanced prostate cancer is fatigue. Despite how common fatigue is in men with advanced disease there has not been even one published controlled trial of interventions for fatigue! A research team at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, [...]
