Circulating Tumor Cell Enumeration in Metastatic Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer and Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

An uncommon, but very aggressive form of prostate cancer is known as Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). It is generally accepted that Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) counts as measured by CellSearch (a method to catch and count these cells in the blood) are prognostic for most men with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC), but are not well [...]

Is The FDA Changing Their Criteria for Drug Approval? Maybe A Little

Is the FDA softening their stance on approving drugs using progression radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) (how long it takes for the disease to progress based on scans) as opposed to only survival? The answer is maybe, under certain circumstances. An article in Clinical Cancer Research looked into the US Food and Drug Administration’s thinking about [...]

Metastatic Prostate Cancer Mortality Rates Unchanged – But Fewer Men Are Becoming Metastatic

The PSA controversy continues to plague men’s health. The United States Preventive Task Force’s recommendation against using the PSA blood test as a screening tool for prostate cancer (PCa) will bring additional harms to men. Since the beginning of PSA testing the mortality rate from prostate cancer has declined significantly, but there has been no [...]

Early Chemotherapy for Men Who Are Still Hormone Responsive – For Some It Might Offer Extra Survival

When I was first diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer one of the first questions that I asked my doctor was whether it made sense for me to start chemotherapy immediately. I very clearly remember him telling me that there was absolutely no evidence that starting chemotherapy at this early stage would do anything to extend [...]

Positive Results for Xtandi in the Pre-Chemotherapy Space

It was announced today that after observing significant benefits in overall survival (OS) and radiographic progression free survival (PFS) ,the two co-primary endpoints of the the Xtandi pre-chemotherapy trial,  the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) for The Phase 3 PREVAIL trial of enzalutamide in metastatic prostate cancer recommends that "the study be stopped and patients [...]

Yervoy (ipilimumab) Fails to Extend Survival in Men with mCRP Who Failed Chemo

Some bad news was reported today. Results from the Phase 3 randomized, double-blind clinical trial (Study 043) comparing Yervoy 10 mg/kg (ipilimumab) (n=399) to placebo (n=400) following radiation in men with advanced metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have received prior treatment with docetaxel showed no increase in overall survival. Yervoy is an immunotherapy which [...]

Metastasis-Free Survival Is A Possible Biomarker for Overall Survival

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 [...]

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