U.S. News and World Review, in their HealthDay section reported an interesting aspect of the continuing debate about treatment vs. “watchful waiting” (active surveillance). The article, written by Karen Pallarito “Rethinking Prostate Cancer in Older Men” suggests aggressive treatment is viable, even for patients in their late 70s! Her premise, that increasing life expectancies, improved [...]
According to data published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2008; 26:4426-34), once a week, bisphosphonate therapy improves bone density and improves turnover in prostate cancer patients with nonmetastatic disease who are on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). A second year of bisphosphonate therapy provides additional skeletal benefit, whereas discontinuation results in bone loss and increased [...]
In today’s New York Times Gina Kolata wrote a very interesting article about the unreliability of MRIs for diagnostic purposes. She wrote from the perspective of orthopedic injuries, but since MRIs are main stays for us suffering with prostate cancer, there is an important message for us. Her story revolves around a running injury that [...]
On the advanced prostate cancer group I moderate there has been a discussion about the health risks of using Fosamax for an extended period of time. The risks of long term therapy remains unclear and mixed. The Physicans Desk Reference (PDR) indicates they have no idea what effects Fosamax may have after four years! Fosamax [...]
On July 23, 2008 I wrote an article on deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a hidden danger for men with prostate cancer. Studies show more than 90 percent of patients with cancer may experience an increase in the blood’s clotting activity, which can lead to a Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVTs. DVTs can be a life [...]