Researchers at Johns Hopkins has concluded that metastasis-free survival appeared to independently predictor of overall survival (OS) in men with recurrent prostate cancer who underwent androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) after developing metastases. Men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (PSA only) tend to survive for long periods so the FDA gold standard for clinical trial endpoint [...]
More on Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) from the 2013 The last two abstracts that I want to speak about that were presented at the conference that pertained to Provenge speak to its efficacy. The first looks at changes in circulating tumor cells (CTC) and the second to the onset of the use of opioid painkillers. Abstract #40 [...]
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center found in a genome-wide analysis of 13 men with metastatic prostate cancer that there were consistent epigenetic "signatures" or “marks” across all metastatic tumors in each of the subject men. The discovery contradicts the current belief that epigenetic marks that sit on the nuclear DNA of cancer [...]
Once you have had primary treatment for prostate cancer you must continue to actively monitor your PSA until you die. There is no cure; at least you should never assume that you have been cured because 1/3 of all men who have treatment will have a recurrence. What treatment you have does not matter, statistically [...]
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology a bone scan index (BSI) can assess response to treatment and predict survival in metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Men who have castrate resistant or metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormonal therapy and has spread to distant sites [...]
One of the major causes of prostate cancer morbidity and mortality is bone metastases. Currently, when it comes to treating prostate cancer metastases we are very limited in effective therapies that actually prolong survival. Kirschenbaum A, etal (Departments of Urology and Medicine Division of Pulmonary Diseases Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Bone Diseases, Mount Sinai [...]
Men who experience a reoccurrence post surgery will usually be referred for salvage radiation therapy. The goal of the radiation is to simply eliminate the stray cancer cells that might have remained in the prostate bed. The only way we currently have to monitor the outcomes from this radiation is to monitor PSA. Researchers at [...]
A lot has been written about the need to identify better biomarkers to both assist in the initial diagnosis of prostate cancer and then to help determine which cancers are potentially dangerous from those that are actually indolent. Finding these markers is vital, I too have written about the great need for them. However, in [...]
The May 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine carried a report about some recent research looking to identify biomarkers for aggressive prostate cancer. We have been plagued with our inability to differentiate between which prostate cancers are aggressive and will kill and which are actually indolent and will not affect a man’s life. [...]
