ASCO has become a little more interesting for prostate cancer. Today's item is about a mega-analysis that confirms that the site of metastatic tumors will powerfully predict overall survival (OS) among men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Older and smaller studies had previously suggested that the metastatic site is prognostic for OS. This [...]
Current Prognostic models for overall survival (OS) for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have become dated. They don’t adequately reflect the many new drugs used in clinical practice. To develop a relevant model data from a phase III trial of 1,050 men with mCRPC were used (Cancer and Leukemia Group B CALGB-90401 [Alliance]) was evaluated. [...]
Higher circulating tumor cell counts are associated with an increased risk of death. Men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer don’t have a good biomarker to predict survival. According to a study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. by Amir Goldkorn, MD, and colleagues at the Keck School of Medicine of [...]
Satraplatin is an oral platinum drug that is believed to bind the DNA of the cancer cell, which then prevents the cancer from being able to reproduce. Satraplatin had been tested in a phase III trial in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have failed chemotherapy with docetaxel. It failed because it did [...]
The novel radiopharmaceutical radium-223 (Xofigo) appears to have long term safety with minimal adverse events. In an updated report, given at ASCO GU, on the ALSYMPCA trial of radium-233 (Xofigo), the researchers have found that there is no major safety issues identified within ~1.5 years after the completion of treatment in a population of men [...]
There was a recent study to investigate the predictive value of the number of extra-spinal organs involved by metastases for survival in metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) from prostate cancer. This was a very small study of only 95 men irradiated with 10×3 Gy for MSCC from prostate cancer. The investigators considered seven factors: Age, [...]
Having your advanced prostate cancer progress to becoming castrate resistant is a major moment in our life. For many of us becoming castrate resistant signals a major change, a foreshadowing of what the future holds. Becoming castrate resistant heralds our eventual decline which can only lead us to one destination, our demise. How long it [...]
Ra-223 is an investigational alpha-pharmaceutical targeting bone metastases (mets) with high-energy, short-range alpha-particles. The recently completed phase 3, double-blind, randomized, multinational ALSYMPCA study showed that Ra-223 significantly improved over all survival (OS) in CRPC men with bone mets by a median increase of 3.6 months compared with placebo (median OS: 14.9 vs 11.3 mo; P [...]
I remember when I was first diagnosed with a prostate cancer recurrence, when I was told that I had advanced prostate cancer. More than any other times that I have been told I have cancer (I have melanoma, thyroid cancer, renal cancer and advanced prostate cancer) I felt the world stopped and my life was [...]
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 [...]
