The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is Britain’s healthcare cost-effectiveness agency, has determined that abiraterone (Zytiga) was not worth giving to men with castrate resistant metastatic prostate cancer who have yet to had chemotherapy. Unlike the FDA in the United States which rules only on a drug’s efficacy, NICE decides if [...]
The explosion of new therapies for men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) raises serious questions about the optimal sequencing of these new treatments as well as whether cross-resistance occurs between these drugs. It was recently reported that chemotherapy with docetaxel (D) is not effective in in men who did not have a ? [...]
Administering chemotherapy using docetaxel (taxotere or T) on a bi-weekly basis with prednisone improved progression free survival and overall survival when compared with the standard tri-weekly schedule for men with advanced castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) (Lancet Oncol. 2013;14:117-124). However, quality of life (QoL) differences have not been evaluated. In a trial to evaluate the [...]
Since its FDA approval in 2011 FDA abiraterone (Zytiga) has supplanted docetaxel (chemotherapy), other than perhaps Provenge, as preferred first-line treatment for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. August 2012 saw the FDA approval of enzalutamide (Xtandi) for the treatment of castrate-resistant prostate cancer after chemotherapy. Researchers performed a retrospective chart review at a large medical oncology [...]
Mama might have been correct, eat your yogurt. Many of us already know that a healthy gut with plenty of probiotics to support your gastrointestinal health is absolutely critical to boosting your immune system. Experts say that gut flora could account for as much as 80% of our immune system! A study from the University [...]
Since it FDA approval in 2004, docetaxel (a taxane based chemotherapy) has been the standard first-line chemotherapy for men with metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC). Other than the trial of Provenge all the successful phase III trials conducted in mCRPC focused on men experiencing cancer progression after first-line docetaxel chemotherapy. The implication is that improving the [...]
Another interesting research abstract presented at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando Florida this month found that men with prostate cancer who were on chemotherapy who had also received anticoagulant (blood-thinners) medications experienced improved overall survival rates compared to men who did not take anticoagulants drugs. This retrospective study involved the reviewed of the medical [...]
At the recent 2013 2013 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium there was an abstract presented that updated data from the COU-AA-302 clinical trial of Abiraterone Acetate (Zytiga) with prednisone. The updated data confirms that Zytiga with prednisone improves overall survival (OS) in men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) post-docetaxel therapy (chemotherapy)(Lancet Oncol 2012;13:983-92). The trial [...]
Chemotherapy with Docetaxel is usually given on a once every three (3) week schedule of 75 mg/m2 administered intravenously + prednisolone (10 mg/day p.o.) for men with advanced prostate cancer. In the cases when the side effects are too difficult for a man to tolerate, the dose is often reduced to 50 mg/m2 administered intravenously [...]
A very common side effect of any cancer treatment including chemotherapy (docetaxil for men with advanced prostate cancer) and radiation is nausea. In addition to feelings of nausea many men also experience a feeling of fullness, a change in the way foods taste and strong heartburn. If you have this experience let your doctor know [...]
