Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) is FDA approved after a man becomes castrate resistant. In clinical trials it has shown that it extends life when compared to placebo. The use of Provenge has raised many questions, the two most common ones are why PSA and disease progression continues while receiving this treatment (see post at for an explanation) [...]
I have written much about the need to begin studies of both timing and combining of the many new treatments we have recently developed for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. With the FDA approval of Provenge, Zytiga, Jevtana, Xtandi and hopefully in the near future Radium-223 Dichloride (Alpharadin) we have many new treatment options [...]
One of the constant complaints I hear fro men with advanced prostate cancer that has become castrate resistant about Provenge (sipuleucel-T) is that the anticipated increase in overall survival is only 4.1 months and given the cost of $93,000 for the three infusions many men feel that cost does not justify the survival benefit. My [...]
On September 27th Dendreon announced that it has enrolled and started its first patient with metastatic advanced prostate cancer that is castrate resistanr in a European Union based clinical trial of Provenge. Finally, men in the EU can hope that in the near future that Provenge could become available to them. The trial is hoped [...]
The summer is coming to a close and I am back, ready to again take on the world. I had the fantastic opportunity of spending almost two weeks in Alaska, a land that is so different from the lower 48. I have to say that I have a new found respect for those individuals who [...]
A subgroup analysis of the phase III trials of Provenge (Sipuleucel-T) suggests that there might be a dramatic role for Provenge in African-American men who have advanced prostate cancer that has become castration-resistant (mCRPC). The analysis, which was released at the American Urological Association 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting, was headed up by Colonel David G. [...]
There has been an on-going debate on the advanced prostate cancer on-line support group about the issue of the efficacy of Provenge in light of the expectation of a person's increasing PSA number while getting the treatment. For many men with advanced prostate cancer this is a reason they elect to pass on this treatment [...]
I have heard some occasional discussion that once (that is if) enzalutamide (MDV-3100) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of men with advanced prostate cancer, it will over shadow Provenge. On the contrary, I believe that the approval of enzalutamide will actually encourage additional use of Provenge resulting in the increasing use of [...]
The recent AUA meetings in Atlanta had a number of interesting abstracts presented that concern men with advanced prostate cancer. Some of the more interesting abstracts were look back analysis of sipuleucel-T (Provenge) done by consultants for Dendreon, the company who manufactures Provenge. They took the data from the al three of the phase III [...]
Today, May 16, 2012, Dendreon, the makers of Provenge, disclosed a new analysis of data of its pivotal 512-patient study of men with castrate resistant prostate cancer who received sipuleucel-T (Provenge). The new analysis separated the men in the study into four quartiles based on their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) scores. The initial design of the [...]
