PSA Decline After 4 Weeks of Abiraterone Suggests Overall Survival in Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Since we have many new treatments for men with castrate resistant metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC) (advanced prostate cancer) we need to develop earlier indicators of when a treatment might or might not be successful. A decline in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used to monitor treatment response, but it has not been validated as an [...]

A Small Analysis of Abiraterone Responses in African American Men with Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer

Presented at ASCO GU by Stolten and colleagues was abstract 244 that described the responses African American men had to abiraterone (Zytiga) in a retrospective cohort study of men seen at a single institution.  Stolten included differences in the men including their age at diagnosis, prior enzalutamide (Xtandi) and/or docetaxel (chemotherapy) use, as well as [...]

NICE Recommends Xtandi, but Not Zytiga in the Pre-Chemotherapy Stage of Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment

NICE, which serves as a cost-effectiveness agency has said in a draft guidance that it supports the use of Xtandi (enzalutamide) in men whose prostate cancer has spread after the failure of first-line therapy (i.e. ADT), but for whom chemotherapy is not yet necessary. The agency found that Xtandi can delay the need for chemotherapy, [...]

Initial Gleason Score Does Not Impact Abiraterone (Zytiga) Benefit in Prostate Cancer

Clinical trials have shown that there is an overall survival and radiographic progression-free survival benefit derived from abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) in the treatment of men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). A new retrospective study published online, ahead of print, shows this trend is true regardless of a man's Gleason score at diagnosis, despite [...]

On The Horizon – Tests That Can Inform Us If A Drug Will Work Before We Take The Drug

We have become very fortunate over the last 6 years because our arsenal of potential drugs to treat advanced, metastatic prostate cancer has grown. All of our new drugs extend life and most offer palliation of pain. As I have discussed in prior posts we are still in a quandary about how best to sequence [...]

Abiraterone Is Effective In Men Over 75 Years Who Are Chemotherapy-Naive And Have mCRPC

We know that Abiraterone (Zytiga) extends life, but we also know that its side effects can be harsh, especially in elderly men (men over 75 years). We also know that men with metastatic, castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have a limited potential life expectancy. Given these facts, it is important to know if, despite being [...]

Radium-223 When Given In Combinations May Improve Survival in mCRPC

As I have said before, the next big step in the clinical care of men with prostate cancer will be in not in the development of a new drug, but in our growing knowledge of how to sequence and combine our new drugs. Today’s post provides just one example of this new type of breakthrough [...]

How We Know What Drugs Might Work In Combination With Each Other – Bringing The Next Big Breakthrough in Prostate Cancer Treatment

Many of the posts that I have written discussed the need for evaluating our current advanced prostate cancer drugs in both combinations and their sequencing. We have a number of new drugs, but we don’t understand how best to sequence them, or whether or not some drugs would do better and extend life by taking [...]

Our New Therapies and the Development of Cross Resistance to these Drugs

Men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have become fortunate over the last few years as there we now have a number of new drugs available which can extend our life and can also have some palliative effects. However, as we have more treatments being approved, we find that we are faced with a [...]

Metabolic Syndrome in Men with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Treated with Abiraterone Affects Their Survival

Yesterday’s post was about the increased risks of developing diabetes faced by men who are on hormone therapy. This study, as well as most others about this topic has looked at the first levels of hormone therapy (ADT) using the traditional drugs like Zoladex, Trelstar, Firmagon, and Lupron. We know very little about the influence [...]

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