Dogs may be able to smell the presence of prostate cancer in patient urine samples, according to data presented at the 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA).
Men with prostate cancer are at a higher risk for several types of thromboembolic diseases (blood clots), with men undergoing endocrine therapy having the highest risk, according to the results of a study published in the Lancet Oncology.
Approximately 80% of men with an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level who had a benign biopsy did not experience significant distress from these diagnostic procedures. These results were recently published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Avodart® (dutasteride) appears to reduce the risk of prostate cancer as detected on biopsy among men at an increased risk of the disease and improves urinary symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Infertile men have an increased risk of developing aggressive, high-grade prostate cancer compared with fertile men, according to the results of a study published in Cancer.
The PCA3 urine test may help guide decisions about the need for repeat prostate biopsy in men with a negative initial biopsy but elevated PSA. These results were presented at the 2010 ASCO Genitourinary Cancer Symposium.
Men who drink coffee may have a reduced risk of developing lethal and advanced prostate cancer. These results were presented at the 2009 AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research conference.
The sexually transmitted infection Trichomonas vaginalis may increase the risk of advanced prostate cancer. These results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
For every man who benefits from prostate cancer screening, many more are diagnosed and treated unnecessarily. The extent of this “overdiagnosis” of prostate cancer was explored in a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
As the month of September brings prostate cancer into focus, it’s time to increase public understanding of the disease, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated prostate cancer information throughout the year.
The risk of obtaining a false-positive result from screening for prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer is high and becomes cumulatively higher with ongoing screening—after 14 screening tests, the cumulative risk of a false-positive is 60.4% for men and 48.8% for women, according to the results of a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine.
According to the results of a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
Among men at increased risk of developing prostate cancer, use of Avodart® (dutasteride)—a drug currently used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia— decreased the risk of prostate cancer by 23%. These results were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Urological Association.
Two randomized studies of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. One of the studies, conducted in Europe, reported that PSA screening decreased prostate cancer mortality by 20%. The other study, conducted in the United States, found that higher levels of PSA screening did not influence prostate cancer mortality.
Supplementation with folic acid significantly increases the risk of prostate cancer, according to the results of a study recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
New research indicates that PSA screening results in a long lead time (time it would take for a cancer to be diagnosed clinically in the absence of screening) and a high overdiagnosis probability (percentage of cancers detected by screening that would not have been diagnosed before death). The results of this study were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Tests that measure levels of sarcosine in tissue, blood, or urine may eventually provide information about the presence and aggressiveness of prostate cancer. These results were published in the journal Nature.
According to the results of two large randomized studies, selenium and vitamin E supplements do not reduce the risk of prostate cancer. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The use of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins is associated with a decline in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, according to the results of a study published in the November 5, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Excess body weight coupled with a high C-peptide level among men with prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of death from the disease. These results were recently published in an early online version of the Lancet Oncology.
A gene-based molecular diagnostic test used to detect prostate cancer has completed the clinical trials process and is ready for commercial use in patients who are at a high risk for the disease. These results were recently released in a press release by Health Discovery Corporation.
Members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have concluded that there is still insufficient evidence to recommend PSA screening in men 75 years of age or younger. The details of these recommendations were published in the August 5, 2008 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Treatment with finasteride for seven years reduced the incidence of prostate cancer by approximately 25% without increasing the incidence of aggressive prostate cancers. These findings, which included a reanalysis of previously reported results, were published in Cancer Prevention Research.
Expression of the PTOV1 gene helps predict the likelihood of the development of prostate cancer among men with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-PIN). These results were recently published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
A large study conducted in Austria reveals that large weight gains or losses may influence an individual’s risk for developing certain types of cancer, including prostate cancer. Complete details of the study were published in the Annals of Oncology.
Public health Web sites may not be as useful to men concerned about prostate cancer as educational online presentations about the disease. This recent study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, testosterone levels do not appear to be associated with risk of developing prostate cancer.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that genetic variants located in five different chromosomal regions have been associated with prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tend to be lower in obese men than in healthy-weight men because PSA is diluted in the larger blood volume of obese men.
At the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), presenters addressed many aspects of the disease from early detection to management of advanced stage. This review attempts to summarize a selection of interesting abstracts presented at the meeting and discuss the possible impact on current management of the disease.
The 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prostate Cancer Symposium covered topics including risk factors, screening, prevention, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a marker, risk assessment, local treatments, biochemical failure, complications of therapy, and developmental therapeutics.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is found in roughly 32% of prostate biopsies.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the frequency of interval prostate cancers—cancers diagnosed on the basis of symptoms in between scheduled screening tests—was similar regardless of whether PSA testing occurred every two years or every four years.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Cancer, Asian men (with the exception of South Asian and Vietnamese men) have significantly better prostate cancer survival than White men.
According to the results of a study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, men with a history of infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, high-risk types of human papillomavirus, or human herpesvirus type 8 do not have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, high intake of cruciferous vegetables appears to lower the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.
According to a review conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is “no credible evidence” that lycopene reduces the risk of cancers such as prostate cancer, and “very limited evidence” that tomato consumption reduces risk. The review was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
According to the results of a study published in Lancet Oncology, men who had used the blood thinner warfarin for four years were 20% less likely to develop prostate cancer than men who had never used warfarin.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men who used multivitamins more than seven times per week were almost twice as likely as nonusers of multivitamins to develop fatal prostate cancer.
According to results recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, daily long-term use of adult-strength aspirin appears to modestly lower the overall incidence of cancer; this is particularly evident in colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer.
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Cancer, consumption of red wine is not associated with an increased or decreased risk of developing prostate cancer.
According to an article recently published in the British Journal of Cancer, there does not appear to be an association between the presence of viruses in the prostate and the risk for subsequent prostate cancer among men.
According to an article recently published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, men with a higher body mass index (measurement of obesity) have a higher risk of more aggressive or fatal prostate cancer than men with more normal body weight.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Lancet Oncology, Propecia® (finasteride 1 mg/day) appears to reduce serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to a similar extent as Proscar® (finasteride 5 mg/day).
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer is overused among elderly men in poor health, a group in whom the risks of screening are likely to outweigh the benefits.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, firefighters have an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer.
According to a study published in the journal Cancer, levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are lower in obese men than in normal weight men. The PSA level that arouses a suspicion of prostate cancer may therefore be lower in obese men.
According to two studies published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) may reduce the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia as well as prostate cancer.
According to results recently presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Urologic Association (AUA), the new prostate cancer marker, EPCA, in addition to the standard prostate cancer marker, PSA, is highly accurate in detecting prostate cancer.
According to results recently presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Urologic Association (AUA), the new prostate cancer marker, EPCA-2 appears to provide more accuracy in identifying early prostate cancers than the standard prostate cancer marker, PSA.
According to a study published in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers have identified a genetic variant that appears to increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
Among men undergoing prostate biopsy, the probability of having prostate cancer varied by serum level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), family history of prostate cancer, digital rectal exam result, and results of previous prostate biopsies. These results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers in Germany used a new statistical technique to compare the performance of two prostate cancer screening tests—the traditional test for total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) and a test for a specific form of PSA known as complexed PSA (cPSA). The cPSA test outperformed the tPSA test. These results were published in The Journal of Urology.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of Urology, over 90% of prostate cancers detected through prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening are considered to be “clinically significant” cancers.
Overall, a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found no evidence that higher intake of vitamin E, beta-carotene, or vitamin C reduced the risk of prostate cancer. It’s possible, however, that these nutrients may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in certain subgroups of men.
Men who have used statin drugs to reduce their cholesterol levels may be less likely to develop prostate cancer, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemology.
A study conducted at Veterans Affairs medical centers in New England suggests that prostate cancer screening using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or digital rectal exam has no effect on survival. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In a population of men undergoing prostate cancer screening in Austria, prostate cancer was detected in 21% of men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level between 2.0 and 3.9 ng/mL and 30% of men with PSA between 4.0 and 10.0 ng/mL. In men with PSA levels between 2.0 and 10.0 ng/mL, 37% of detected prostate cancers occurred in men with PSA less than 4.0 ng/mL. These results were published in the journal Urology.
In a combined analysis of 10 published studies, men with the highest intake of dairy products and calcium were more likely to develop prostate cancer than men with the lowest intakes. These results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Use of an anesthetic cream before transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided needle biopsy of the prostate significantly reduces a patient’s level of pain during the procedure, according to a study published in the British Journal of Urology.
According to results recently presented at the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), men who undergo yearly prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing have a significantly reduced risk of death from prostate cancer compared with men who do not undergo regular screening.
A blood test that detects antibodies against prostate cancer cells more accurately identified prostate cancer than the test for prostate specific antigen (PSA), according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Men who choose to be screened for prostate cancer using the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test may not need to be tested every year if their baseline PSA level is low, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
According to a study published in The Journal of Urology, screening men for levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) appears to reduce the probability of metastatic prostate cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the prostate).
Men who have prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in the low range of normal are much less likely than men who have PSA values in the high range of normal to develop high PSA levels over the course of four years, according to a study published in The Journal of Urology.
The Journal of Urology has published an article suggesting that prostate biopsies may need to be repeated more frequently for men found to be at high risk for developing prostate cancer because of a prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels between 2.6 and 4.0 ng/ml.
TheJournal of Urology has recently published a study that describes a new prostate cancer marker that may make prostate cancer easier to identify in an early stage.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), there is no defined prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level that provides both acceptable sensitivity and specificity in the detection of prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in The Journal of Urology, a protein referred to as EPCA could provide earlier detection for prostate cancer than the current standard PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of Urology, a topical paste that can be applied 30 minutes prior to biopsy reduces pain associated with prostate biopsies.
According to a recent article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, higher levels of dietary selenium may decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has recently changed its recommended guidelines regarding PSA testing in the screening of prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, increased testosterone levels in men increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
According to recall notices issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) and BotanicLab, consumers should immediately stop using PC-SPES and SPES herbal supplements. Laboratory testing conducted by DHS identified undeclared prescription medications in these formulas that could cause serious side effects, particularly if combined with other prescribed medications.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Urology, watchful waiting may be an appropriate option for select patients with prostate cancer.
According to results recently published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, testosterone replacement therapy for the treatment of hypogonadism does not appear to increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
According to an article published in
The Journal of Urology, using complex prostate specific antigen (cPSA) levels instead of the standard total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) levels could reduce the rate of unnecessary biopsies in the detection of prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, lowering PSA levels for which biopsies are recommended may improve the detection rate for prostate cancer, particularly in younger men, without significantly increasing the number of unnecessary biopsies.
According to a recent article published in
The Journal of Urology, the use of contrast enhanced color Doppler in endorectal ultrasound improves the detection of prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, a new technique involving lymphotropic superparamagnetic nanoparticles improves the accuracy of detectiing cancer that has spread to pelvic lymph nodes in patients with prostate cancer.
According to results recently published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, finasteride, a drug commonly used in the treatment of benign prostate hypertrophy as well as hair loss, may provide protection against the development of prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 39th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, hormone therapy delivered directly following radiation therapy improves survival compared to later delivery of hormone therapy.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Urology, Zometa® (zoledronic acid) appears to reduce bone loss in men with prostate cancer being treated with androgen deprivation therapy.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association, men in the United States are more likely to be up-to-date on their screening for prostate cancer than screening for colorectal cancer.
According to an article recently published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, soy isoflavones appear not to damage DNA of cancer patients or healthy volunteers.
According to results recently published in the
Journal of Urology, men with low plasma levels of selenium are at increased risk for developing prostate cancer. Based on this evidence, researchers suggest that supplemental selenium may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, particularly in older men whose selenium levels tend to be lower.
A major component of vitamin E in the U.S. diet, gamma-tocopherol, may be a factor in reducing the risk of prostate cancer, according to a study recently published in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Moderate consumption of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 50%, according to a recent study published in
The Lancet.
There is increasing evidence that diet does play a role in the development and perhaps the prevention of prostate cancer, according to recent proceedings at the annual meeting of the Society of Nutritional Oncology Adjuvant Therapy, as well as an article in
Cancer Control: The Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center.
According to a recent article published in
BJU International, radiation therapy in patients who experience a cancer recurrence following a radical prostatectomy may provide an effective treatment option.
According to an article recently published in
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, men who eat fish regularly appear less likely to develop prostate cancer, especially metastatic cancer.
A recent article published in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported that consumption of vegetables in the allium family may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the
British Medical Journal, results from a clinical study indicate that the incidence of skin cancers and prostate cancer may be increased in airline pilots. However, the researchers could not directly attribute the development of these cancers to cosmic radiation.
According to a recent article in the
Journal of Urology, a screening test, still in investigative stages, may improve the accuracy of PSA testing in distinguishing between prostate cancer and benign conditions.
According to a recent article in the
Journal of the American Medical Association, there does not appear to be an increased risk of developing prostate cancer in men who have had a vasectomy.
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According to a recent article in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, screening for prostate-specific antigen levels should not be limited to men with a family history of prostate cancer.
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According to results recently presented at the 38th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, it may not be necessary for older men with low PSA levels to undergo annual PSA testing.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, measuring a specific chemical change in the GSTP1 gene (GSTP1 methylation) may accurately test for the presence of early-stage prostate cancer and augment standard testing.
A new ultrasound technique involving color-enhanced Doppler imaging with microbubble contrast improves the accuracy of screening for prostate cancer, according to a recent article published in
The Lancet.
The risk of prostate cancer increases as the number of lifetime female sexual partners increases, according to the results of a recent study published in the
American Journal of Epidemiology.
Researchers have identified a genetic alteration that increases the risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a study recently published in
Nature Genetics.
A new laboratory test may improve the specificity of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing, according to a recent article published in
The Journal of Urology.
In a large U.S. cancer database, 14% of prostate cancer diagnoses occurred among men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 4.0 ng/mL or lower. More than half of these men had cancer that was considered “low-risk,” but roughly three-quarters were treated aggressively with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Statin use may reduce the risk of prostate cancer recurrence among men who have undergone a radical prostatectomy. These findings were recently published in the journal Cancer.
Active surveillance—sometimes referred to as “watchful waiting”—may be acceptable treatment for low-risk prostate cancer, according to the results of a study published early online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Men treated with external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer may have an increased risk of hip fracture, according to data presented at the 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association.
It appears that, among men who have undergone radiation therapy for early prostate cancer, use of statins may lower risk of recurrence, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Prostate cancer treatment may have lasting effects on quality-of-life issues related to sexual function and urinary problems, but it doesn’t seem to strongly impact overall quality of life, according to a study published in the Journal of Urology.
In a study of men with low-risk prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity and doubling time did not reliably identify cancer progression. These findings were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Weight gain and obesity—especially among inactive men—may increase the risk of prostate cancer recurrence after a prostatectomy, according to the results of a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research on April 20, 2010 in Washington D.C
Men with prostate cancer are at a higher risk for several types of thromboembolic diseases (blood clots), with men undergoing endocrine therapy having the highest risk, according to the results of a study published in the Lancet Oncology.
Among men treated with combined photon and proton radiation therapy for early prostate cancer, a higher dose of radiation did not increase the risk of long-term side effects. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
High-dose conformal radiation therapy results in better long-term cancer control than conventional-dose radiation therapy for treatment of localized prostate cancer, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Short-term hormone therapy delivered before and during moderate-dose radiation therapy improves survival and reduces risk of recurrence compared with radiation alone in men with intermediate-risk, early-stage prostate cancer. The results of this Phase III study were presented at the 2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.
Laparoscopic prostatectomy and open radical prostatectomy produce similar outcomes and carry similar rates of postoperative complications, according to the results of a study published in an early online version of the Journal of Urology.
Even among surgeons with a similar degree of experience, rates of prostate cancer recurrence after open radical prostatectomy can vary greatly. These results were published in the Journal of Urology.
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, a less invasive surgical procedure that has gained in popularity in recent years, appears to result in shorter hospital stays, fewer blood transfusions, and fewer postoperative respiratory complications than open, retropubic radical prostatectomy, but higher rates of incontinence and erectile dysfunction. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In men with locally advanced prostate cancer, the addition of androgen deprivation therapy to radiation therapy improves overall and progression-free survival without substantially affecting cardiovascular mortality. These results, based on close to 10 years of follow-up, were presented at a European cancer conference.
Survival among men who choose to delay prostate cancer treatment appears to be similar to survival among men who choose immediate treatment. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Among men with prostate cancer and a history of heart attack or congestive heart failure, receipt of androgen-deprivation therapy prior to radiation therapy increased the risk of death. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
As the month of September brings prostate cancer into focus, it’s time to increase public understanding of the disease, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated prostate cancer information throughout the year.
Denosumab increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces the risk of vertebral fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis as well as men treated with androgen deprivation therapy for non-metastatic prostate cancer, according to the results of two pivotal studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Men who choose to delay treatment for early prostate cancer do not experience increased anxiety from living with the disease, according to the results of a study published in Cancer.
Long-term survivors of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer who participated in a year-long home-based diet and exercise intervention reported a smaller decline in physical function compared with their counterparts who did not participate in the program, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Among prostate patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, the investigational drug denosumab increases bone density and reduces the risk of fractures. Denosumab also improves bone density in breast cancer patients treated with aromatase inhibitors. These were the results of two studies presented at the 2009 annual meeting the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, men who received two sessions of stress management before undergoing radical prostatectomy for early-stage prostate cancer reported fewer mood problems before surgery and better quality of life after surgery than men who received usual care.
The majority of men with early-stage, low- to moderate-grade prostate cancer die from other causes, which indicates that they would benefit from ongoing screening and prevention for cardiovascular disease and other health conditions, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
Exercise provides at least short-term relief from fatigue for men with prostate cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy—and may result in long-term improvements as well—according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Excess body weight coupled with a high C-peptide level among men with prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of death from the disease. These results were recently published in an early online version of the Lancet Oncology.
Patients with early prostate cancer who are treated with initial surgery appear to have reduced death from prostate cancer compared with those who undergo watchful waiting as initial therapy. These results were recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
In a Phase III clinical trial among men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for nonmetastatic prostate cancer, treatment with investigational drug denosumab improved bone density and reduced the risk of vertebral fractures.
Treatment with immediate hormone therapy may not improve outcomes compared with conservative management among elderly men with prostate cancer. These results were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A recent study conducted by the American Cancer Society reports that although few cancer survivors follow recommendations for lifestyle changes aimed to improve health and well-being, adhering to these guidelines may improve quality of life among prostate cancer survivors. Full details of the study were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A recent study indicates that prostate cancer treatment may be associated with changes in quality of life that impact satisfaction with treatment outcomes for both patients and their spouses or partners. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Differences between the prescribed dose of radiation in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and the dose that’s actually delivered in prostate cancer treatment may make comparison studies difficult to interpret. These findings were reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, androgen suppression therapy (AST), also referred to as androgen deprivation therapy, in addition to radiation therapy improved survival in some men with early prostate cancer. This improvement was limited to men with high-risk prostate cancer and those without other significant medical conditions.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Cancer, men with early prostate cancer often receive treatment that doesn’t appear to fit with their pretreatment levels of urinary, bowel, or sexual function.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Cancer, a family intervention that offered support and information to prostate cancer patients and their spouses provided important benefits, particularly to the spouses.
According to results presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO), walking can reverse the effects of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on bone loss among men with prostate cancer.
Among prostate cancer patients with a biopsy Gleason score of 7, those with a tertiary grade of 5 are more likely to experience a post-treatment PSA increase (PSA failure) than those without a tertiary grade of 5. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, surgery appears to improve survival compared with other treatment approaches for early prostate cancer, particularly in young men with more aggressive cancers.
At the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), presenters addressed many aspects of the disease from early detection to management of advanced stage. This review attempts to summarize a selection of interesting abstracts presented at the meeting and discuss the possible impact on current management of the disease.
The 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prostate Cancer Symposium covered topics including risk factors, screening, prevention, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a marker, risk assessment, local treatments, biochemical failure, complications of therapy, and developmental therapeutics.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, men with early prostate cancer who have negative margins following surgery (no signs of cancer on the margins of the tissue that was surgically removed) may not benefit from immediate radiation following surgery.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes in patients treated for localized prostate cancer.
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, radiation administered to the whole pelvis (whole-pelvic radiation) extends biochemical relapse-free survival compared with radiation directed just at the prostate and surrounding tissues among men with early prostate cancer who are at a high risk of developing a recurrence.
According to an early online publication of Cancer, androgen deprivation therapy increases cardiovascular risks and may impact survival in men with low-risk prostate cancer.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, patients with prostate cancer who have a prostatectomy performed by a more experienced surgeon tend to have better outcomes.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Urology, men diagnosed with prostate cancer may experience improved health as a result of increased preventive and therapeutic interventions for other medical problems.
According to the results of a study presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), African-American men have a higher rate of prostate cancer recurrence than White men even after accounting for two important measures of the care—hospital volume and physician volume.
According to an article recently published in the journal Cancer, middle-aged men who are obese at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis have a significantly worse overall survival than those who are not overweight.
According to an article recently published in the journal Urology, treatment with a radical prostatectomy appears to provide greater survival than radiation or conservative management of early prostate cancer. However, these results need to be confirmed by a clinical trial that directly compares the different treatment modalities.
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, the combination of brachytherapy plus external-beam radiation therapy provides low rates of cancer recurrences at 15 years following treatment for early prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, treatment of localized prostate cancer with radiation therapy or radical prostatectomy results in better survival than observation in men between the ages of 65 and 80 years.
At the 2006 meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in November there were 10 abstracts presented that describe a new system for measuring and monitoring organ motion in real time during external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Urology, hormone therapy for patients with early or locally advanced prostate cancer results in impressive long-term outcomes.
According to an article recently published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, levels of the zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (ACGP1) may help predict the risk of cancer spread among patients with early prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, Cialis® (tadalafil) effectively treats erectile dysfunction in men treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, use of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist for the treatment of non-metastatic prostate cancer may increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
According to the results of a study published in The Journal of Urology, use of high-dose intensity modulated radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer results in good long-term cancer control.
According to results recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, pomegranate juice may significantly slow the progression of early prostate cancer. However, further study is necessary to confirm these findings and determine potential effects on survival.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of Urology, the addition of initial hormone therapy to radiation therapy improves long-term survival compared to radiation therapy and delayed hormone therapy among patients with early prostate cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.
According to an article recently published in the journal Cancer, the lowest levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) during therapy combined with Gleason score can be used to predict death from prostate cancer among men with early prostate cancer who undergo local treatment.
According to results recently published in the Journal of Urology, death from prostate cancer at 25 years after therapy is low following a radical prostatectomy for patients with early prostate cancer.
According to an early online publication in the journal Cancer, men with prostate cancer who are obese have approximately twice the risk of experiencing a cancer recurrence following radiation therapy than those who are not obese.
Among men receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer, the addition of external beam radiation therapy to low-dose rate brachytherapy reduced the likelihood of rise in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after treatment compared to use of low-dose rate brachytherapy alone. These results were published in the journal Urology.
The decision about whether a patient will receive androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer is driven more by the particular urologist a patient sees than by characteristics of the tumor or the patient. These results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
According to the results of a study published in The American Journal of Medicine, aggressive treatment of prostate cancer in men aged 75 or older was linked with worse quality of life and only a small survival benefit.
According to results recently presented at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), radiation following surgery reduces cancer recurrences in men with early prostate cancer.
Among patients undergoing radical cystectomy (removal of bladder) or radical prostatectomy (removal of prostate), the probability of dying during hospitalization was lower at hospitals that performed a greater number of these specific procedures (high-volume hospitals). Hospital volume was not linked with in-hospital mortality after radical nephrectomy (removal of kidney). These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A study of prostate cancer patients over the age of 65 found that men who underwent radical prostatectomy reported generally good quality of life after treatment. These results were published in the journal BJU International.
According to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, higher radiation doses reduce the rate of cancer progression at five years among men with early prostate cancer.
Among men under the age of 60, treatment of localized prostate cancer with radical prostatectomy alone resulted in prolonged cancer-free survival for a majority of men. These results were published in the journal Urology.
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, men with prostate cancer whose prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels rise during hormone therapy given prior to radiation therapy have poorer survival than those whose PSA levels do not rise during this period.
According to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the timing of initiation of androgen deprivation therapy for the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer should be individualized, with each patient weighing individual side effects against outcomes.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of Urology, the rate that it takes for PSA levels to double following therapy is associated with survival outcomes in men with early prostate cancer.
According to results recently presented at the 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology Prostate Symposium, patients with prostate cancer have improved results when their prostatectomy is performed by surgeons who have performed a larger number of prostatectomies compared to surgeons who have performed fewer such procedures.
Although men who receive androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer are more likely than other men to be diagnosed with depression, memory problems, or fatigue, this may be the result of differences in age, cancer stage, and the presence of other serious health problems rather than androgen deprivation by itself. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, delaying the surgical removal of the prostate among men with small, slow-growing prostate cancers may not compromise outcomes. However, it is important for men with early prostate cancer to discuss their individual risks and benefits of all treatment options with their physician.
According to results recently presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) prostate symposium, early treatment with radiation therapy or surgery results in improved long-term outcomes compared to a watchful waiting approach for early prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Prostate Cancer Symposium, high-dose brachytherapy appears similarly effective to high-dose external-beam radiation therapy in the treatment of early prostate cancer.
An experimental formulation of leuprolide, administered by injection every six months, safely and effectively reduced serum testosterone levels in men with prostate cancer. These results were published in the Journal of Urology.
Patients have better outcomes after surgery for urological cancers (such as prostate or bladder cancer) if they are treated at hospitals or by surgeons that treat a larger number of urological cancer patients, according to an article in The Journal of Urology.
According to a study published in the journal Cancer, prostate cancer patients treated with long-term androgen deprivation therapy have an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), potentially increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of Urology, further data shows an increased risk of fractures in men with prostate cancer who are undergoing hormone therapy.
Among men who experience an increase in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) following radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer, intermittent androgen ablation appears to be safe and effective and also limits side-effects and costs. These results were published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.
Men with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 kg/m2 or higher have a roughly 69% greater risk of prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy than normal-weight men, according to a study published in Urology.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of Urology, the length of time it takes for levels of prostate-specific antigen levels to rise following a prostatectomy may be an important predictor of outcomes in patients with early prostate cancer.
Zometa® (zoledronic acid) reduces bone loss and promotes bone recovery among prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, according to results presented at the 2005 annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York.
According to results recently presented at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), radiation following surgery reduces cancer recurrences in men with early prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, complications or death following a prostatectomy are greatly influenced by existing medical conditions (co-morbidities) other than prostate cancer.
According to a study published in The Journal of Urology, progression of early, low-grade prostate cancer may be slowed if men make healthful changes to their diet, physical activity level, and stress management techniques.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), high doses of radiation therapy reduce the risk of a cancer recurrence more effectively than conventional doses in early prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in Clinical Cancer Research, men with early prostate cancer who are obese have a greater risk of cancer progression following a prostatectomy than men who are not obese.
According to a recent article published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, long-term androgen deprivation therapy improves overall survival at 5 years when compared with short-term androgen deprivation following radiation therapy in patients with prostate cancer who have a prostate-specific antigen level of 20 or higher.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, some prostate cancer patients who experience a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increase after radical prostatectomy will have good outcomes after additional treatment with radiation alone. Others may benefit from a combination of radiation and hormonal therapies.
Men who have problems with urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy may benefit from collagen injections to the tissue around the urethra, according to a study in The Journal of Urology.
According to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancers today receive a higher Gleason score than the same cancers would have a decade ago; this shift in grade may explain some of the apparent improvement in prostate cancer survival.
After radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, men who have positive surgical margins (evidence that surgery may not have entirely removed the cancer) are more likely to have a prostate cancer recurrence than men who do not have positive surgical margins, according to a study published in The Journal of Urology.
According to results recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, men who are treated with brachytherapy for early-stage prostate cancer experience a good quality of life following treatment.
According to a recent article published in TheJournal of Urology, patients with early prostate cancer and a higher body mass index (BMI) have a greater risk of cancer progression following a radical prostatectomy than patients with a lower BMI.
Standardized assessments by nurses of patients’ concerns after prostate cancer treatment improve some aspects of patient quality of life, according to a study published in the journal Cancer.
According to two recent articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, factors associated with an increased risk of death from prostate cancer have been identified. Patients with factors that place them at a higher risk of a cancer recurrence or death may wish to proceed with more aggressive therapy than patients with a lower risk.
A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that radical prostatectomy reduces the risks of metastasis (cancer spread) and disease progression among men diagnosed with early prostate cancer, when compared to the approach of watchful waiting. However, some men with early prostate cancer may be at a higher risk of developing cancer progression than others, so patients are encouraged to speak with their physician regarding their individual risks and benefits of each treatment regimen.
According to results published in the Journal of Urology, surgery to remove the prostate may provide benefit in terms of progression-free survival in patients with prostate cancer that returns within the prostate following treatment with radiation therapy.
According to a recent article published in Gastroenterology, patients treated with radiation for prostate cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing rectal cancer than patients who undergo surgery for treatment of their prostate cancer.
According to results recently published in the journal Cancer, cryosurgery may be an effective treatment option for patients with high-risk, early prostate cancer who are unwilling to undergo surgery or radiation therapy.
According to a recent article published in the journal Cancer, men with prostate cancer who are receiving androgen deprivation therapy are not being adequately evaluated or treated for bone loss.
According to results recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, treatment with androgen deprivation therapy increases the risk of bone fractures in men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Preliminary results of a U.S. trial indicate that increasing the dose of conformal radiation therapy produces fewer relapses in men with early stage prostate cancer than conventional dose. This advantage was achieved without any increase in either acute or long-term urinary or rectal morbidity (damage).[1] These results were reported in the plenary session of the 46th annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) held in Atlanta GA, Oct 3-7, 2004.
According to results recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 3 months of androgen suppression prior to radiation therapy appears to be just as effective as an 8-month course in patients with localized prostate cancer. However, longer follow-up may reveal differences between the two treatment courses, particularly in patients who are at a high risk of experiencing a cancer relapse.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, hormone therapy used prior to radiation therapy, during radiation therapy, and following radiation therapy improves survival in patients with early prostate cancer compared to radiation therapy alone.
According to a recent article published in The Journal of Urology, men with recurrent prostate cancer appear to have improved survival if their initial treatment was surgery, compared to those whose initial treatment was radiation.
According to a recent article published in The New England Journal of Medicine, men whose PSA increases at a rapid rate in the year prior to diagnosis of prostate cancer have an increased risk of death following a prostatectomy.
According to results presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, spinal anesthesia is a reliable practice and may confer some advantages over general anesthesia in patients undergoing a prostatectomy.
According to recall notices issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) and BotanicLab, consumers should immediately stop using PC-SPES and SPES herbal supplements. Laboratory testing conducted by DHS identified undeclared prescription medications in these formulas that could cause serious side effects, particularly if combined with other prescribed medications.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Urology, watchful waiting may be an appropriate option for select patients with prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology, further evidence indicates that the addition of immediate hormone therapy to standard therapy appears to improve progression-free survival in patients with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer.
1
According to results presented at the plenary session of the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology, a higher overall dose of radiation given over 6.5 weeks may be more beneficial than a lower radiation dose given over 4 weeks for treatment of localized prostate cancer. However, the overall doses used in this particular study were far lower than what has been shown as optimal; therefore, these results may not appropriately convey responses that might be achieved with radiation schedules used at present.
According to results presented at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology, statins, which are agents used to lower lipid levels, may improve responses to radiation therapy in patients with localized prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 2003 European Conference on Clinical Oncology (ECCO), the addition of Thalomid® to combination chemotherapy appears promising in the treatment of advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The Journal of Urology, higher doses of radiation therapy appear to improve survival compared to conventional doses in men under 60 years with localized prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the annual meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society, the agent Cialis (tadalafil) improves erectile dysfunction in patients who have undergone a surgical procedure for prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Urology, Zometa® (zoledronic acid) appears to reduce bone loss in men with prostate cancer being treated with androgen deprivation therapy.
According to an article recently published in
Experimental Biology and Medicine, lycopene supplementation prior to surgery may reduce the severity of cancer in prostate cancer patients.
According to an article recently published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, soy isoflavones appear not to damage DNA of cancer patients or healthy volunteers.
According to an article recently published in
Urology, shiitake mushroom extract (SME) failed to produce significant anti-cancer responses in patients with prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, patients undergoing radical prostatectomies appear to have fewer complications and shorter hospital stays if their surgeon performs large volumes of prostatectomies each year.
1 These findings are consistent with a previous study evaluating surgical side effects of a prostatectomy and the annual surgical volume of a physician.
2
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, patients with early-stage prostate cancer who are initially treated with a radical prostatectomy appear to have improved cancer-free survival, but equivalent overall survival, compared to patients who initially undergo watchful waiting.
According to a recent article in the
Journal of Urology, earlier treatment with a radical prostatectomy may improve long-term outcomes in patients who develop metastatic prostate cancer; however, further trials that directly compare different treatment regimens are warranted.
According to results published in
Hematology/Oncology Today and presented at the 102nd Annual American Roentgen Ray Society Meeting, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appears to predict prostate cancer recurrences earlier than a prostate biopsy in patients previously treated for prostate cancer who have a rising PSA level.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, a radical prostatectomy and external-beam radiation therapy appear to provide equivalent disease-free survival in patients with localized prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the
The Journal of Urology, men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are under the age of 60 may have more aggressive cancer than their older counterparts. These patients may wish to consider more aggressive treatment to reduce the risk of a cancer relapse.
According to a recent article in the
International Journal of Radiation Oncology- Biology-Physics, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) appears to be safe and effective treatment for localized prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The Lancet, hormonal therapy during and after radiation appears to reduce cancer recurrences and improve survival in patients with prostate cancer that has not spread to distant sites in the body.
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of some side effects caused by a radical prostatectomy appear to be reduced if a patient is treated at a high-volume hospital and by a surgeon who performs a high volume of procedures annually.
According to an article published in the
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, endorectal coil magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appears to improve the accuracy of seed implant placement for patients being treated for prostate cancer.
According to an article published in the journal
Radiology, the addition of magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging to conventional endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) improves the accuracy in determining the extent of prostate cancer in patients, which may ultimately lead to optimal treatment decisions.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Treatment depends on the stage, or extent of spread of the disease, but may consist of surgery, delaying treatment until the cancer progresses, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, biologic therapy (utilizing the body’s immune system to fight cancer), and/or chemotherapy. Patients with advanced localized prostate cancer have cancer that has spread outside the prostate, but not to distant sites in the body. A common form of treatment for these patients is external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), in which high-dose x-rays from a machine are aimed at the affected area. Another form of radiation therapy, called brachytherapy, involves the placement of small “seeds” of radioactive material directly into the prostate gland. Brachytherapy has been used extensively to treat earlier stage prostate cancer and has recently emerged as potential augmentation to EBRT for patients with advanced localized prostate cancer. Results from a recent study published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest that the use of brachytherapy in addition to EBRT may be more effective treatment than EBRT alone for patients with advanced localized prostate cancer.
Patients with localized prostate cancer find themselves in a difficult and often perplexing situation. Several seemingly equivalent treatment options exist, so the choice of treatment becomes a very personal decision. Some patients will choose to undergo aggressive treatment, while others will choose to delay treatment until further cancer progression. Commonly, treatment for small, localized cancers may include surgery, delayed treatment until cancer progression, hormonal therapy, and/or radiation therapy.
Hospitals at which a large number of radical prostatectomies are performed for prostate cancer have fewer surgery-related deaths, shorter hospital stays, and lower costs, according to a recent study from Dartmouth University.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. One of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer is a surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, but this procedure is more difficult for cancers that have spread outside the prostate area. Now, researchers in Texas have developed a strategy of using chemotherapy before surgery, which may allow these cancers to be reduced to a size at which they can be completely removed during a prostatectomy.
The treatment options for prostate cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy, depending on the stage (extent) of disease. For many persons with prostate cancer, the choice of treatment relies not only on which therapy will most effectively fight the disease, but also on which therapy will offer the best quality of life. Now, researchers from Missouri say that 6 years after diagnosis, most men are no longer bothered by problems with urinary function, but do experience some difficulty with sexual function, regardless of the type of treatment they received.
Radiation therapy for persons who have elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after surgery appears, in many cases, to result in the suppression of PSA levels for 5 or more years. This finding, from researchers in Minnesota, is important because an elevated PSA level is 1 of the most important indications that previous treatment may not have succeeded entirely and more treatment is needed.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Two of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer are surgery and radiation therapy. While these therapies are often effective, they can be associated with side effects such as difficulty with urinary and/or sexual function. Now, several studies show that the use of sildenafil (Viagra) may help reverse impotence in men who suffer this condition after cancer treatment.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Radiation therapy and surgery, for example, are thought to be treatments of similar effectiveness for persons with localized prostate cancer (cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body). Now, researchers report that radiation therapy, compared with surgery, is associated with a small increased risk for developing second cancers 5 to 15 years after treatment. This slight increased risk may not play a significant role in treatment choices for older men, but may be a consideration for younger men with prostate cancer.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Two of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer are radiation therapy and a surgical procedure, called a radical prostatectomy. Researchers have been comparing these 2 approaches to determine which is the most effective. Now, a study in the January 2000 issue of
Cancer shows that radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy are equally effective treatments against localized prostate cancer.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. One of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer is a surgical procedure, called a radical prostatectomy. Researchers have been comparing the different treatment options for prostate cancer to determine which is the most effective and which is associated with the fewest side effects. Researchers from the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study now report that many men who receive a radical prostatectomy subsequently have difficulty with sexual and urinary function.
Radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy appear to produce similar results for the treatment of persons with prostate cancer who have PSA scores of 10.0 ng/mL or less and Gleason scores of 6 or less before treatment. This news comes from Michigan researchers who compared the 2 treatment strategies in 382 men with prostate cancer.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. One of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer is radiation therapy, using high-energy radiation with either an external beam or a radioactive implant that is placed in the prostate gland. While this therapy is effective, some men still have a recurrence (or return) of the cancer. For this reason, researchers are investigating different types of tests that can help determine whether treatment has been successful and predict whether a recurrence of cancer is likely or unlikely. Researchers from Georgia say that a test for the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels can help make this determination.
Patients with early stage prostate cancer find themselves in a difficult and often perplexing situation. Several seemingly equivalent treatment options exist and no well-done clinical studies are available to help patients sort out the various treatment options. The 3 main choices are surgery (radical prostatectomy), external beam radiation therapy (EBRT, or interstitial radiation therapy using implantable seeds into the prostate gland. In addition to each therapy being associated with different side effects or complications of therapy, it is currently unclear whether one treatment is superior with regard to managing the prostate cancer.
External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is an effective treatment for localized prostate cancer. Following EBRT, persistence or recurrence of cancer within the prostate occurs in up to 50% of cases. Radiation doses delivered to the prostate gland have traditionally been limited by toxicity to the rectum and bladder. Newer computer systems utilizing three-dimension conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) techniques may allow delivery of an increased radiation dose to the cancer while minimizing toxicity to surrounding normal organs. In order to determine whether higher radiation doses are safe and feasible, a clinical study was designed to test four radiation dose levels using 3D-CRT in patients with localized prostate cancer.
With the improvements in screening for prostate cancer, many men will be diagnosed with earlier prostate cancer than in the past. With advances in prostate imaging and computer treatment planning, interstitial brachytherapy (radiation implants) appears effective for treatment of early stage, low to moderate grade prostate cancer. Implant therapy is attractive to many patients given the relative ease of outpatient treatment. Doctors from Seattle reported the results of interstitial brachytherapy for treatment of localized prostate cancer at their institution.
Cancer of the prostate, a male sex gland located near the bladder and rectum, is a type of cancer that occurs commonly in older men. Treatment for prostate cancer depends on the stage of disease (extent of disease at the time of diagnosis), and may include surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and/or biologic therapy to help the immune system fight the cancer.
According to a recent study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine, the use of the bisphosphonates may help prevent bone loss caused by androgen-deprivation therapy in men with prostate cancer.
Results from a large clinical trial indicate that the antiandrogen, bicalutamide, prevents cancer progression in patients with early stage prostate cancer, as recently reported at the 96
th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association.
For patients with prostate cancer, the Gleason score combined with pathological category (extent of disease) following a radical prostatectomy are factors which appear to most accurately predict the risk for recurrence following surgery, according to a recent article published in the journal
Cancer. Patients at a high risk of experiencing a recurrence according to these factors may benefit from novel adjuvant therapies, while patients considered to have a low risk may be spared from unnecessary treatment.
More than 80% of patients treated for prostate cancer subsequently suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to a study recently published in the
Journal of Urology.
A novel anti-cancer drug, CCI-779, has shown promise in safely producing anti-cancer responses in patients with some types of advanced cancers. (
European Society of Medical Oncology, 2000).
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. A recent emphasis in determining the most effective treatment strategy has been focused on individualizing therapy for each patient according to differing biological characteristics of the cancer. There are 2 important benefits of individualizing therapy: 1) the achievement of optimal treatment strategies for each patient; and 2) the sparing of some patients from unnecessary treatment.
In a large U.S. cancer database, 14% of prostate cancer diagnoses occurred among men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 4.0 ng/mL or lower. More than half of these men had cancer that was considered “low-risk,” but roughly three-quarters were treated aggressively with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The addition of radiation therapy to hormone therapy reduces the risk of prostate cancer death by 43% among men with locally advanced or high-risk prostate cancer compared with hormone therapy alone, according to the results of a phase III study presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Men with prostate cancer are at a higher risk for several types of thromboembolic diseases (blood clots), with men undergoing endocrine therapy having the highest risk, according to the results of a study published in the Lancet Oncology.
Neoadjuvant treatment with Taxotere® (docetaxel) and Emcyt® (estramustine) for high-risk localized prostate cancer appears to be safe and produces promising responses compared with standard treatment, according to the results of a Phase III randomized study presented at the 2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.
In men with locally advanced prostate cancer, the addition of androgen deprivation therapy to radiation therapy improves overall and progression-free survival without substantially affecting cardiovascular mortality. These results, based on close to 10 years of follow-up, were presented at a European cancer conference.
Hormone therapy used to treat men with advanced prostate cancer may lead to an increased risk of heart disease, according to the results of a study presented on September 22, 2009 at Europe’s largest cancer congress, ECCO 15-ESMO 34, in Berlin.
Among men with prostate cancer and a history of heart attack or congestive heart failure, receipt of androgen-deprivation therapy prior to radiation therapy increased the risk of death. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Denosumab increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces the risk of vertebral fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis as well as men treated with androgen deprivation therapy for non-metastatic prostate cancer, according to the results of two pivotal studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Long-term survivors of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer who participated in a year-long home-based diet and exercise intervention reported a smaller decline in physical function compared with their counterparts who did not participate in the program, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Short-term androgen suppression produces inferior survival compared with long-term androgen suppression in the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer, according to the results of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Among prostate patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, the investigational drug denosumab increases bone density and reduces the risk of fractures. Denosumab also improves bone density in breast cancer patients treated with aromatase inhibitors. These were the results of two studies presented at the 2009 annual meeting the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Among men treated with radical prostatectomy and found to have pT3 prostate cancer (cancer that extends beyond the prostate capsule), adjuvant treatment with radiation therapy reduces the risk of post-treatment PSA increase. The results of this Phase III clinical trial were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The majority of men with early-stage, low- to moderate-grade prostate cancer die from other causes, which indicates that they would benefit from ongoing screening and prevention for cardiovascular disease and other health conditions, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
According to the results of a Phase II clinical trial, neoadjuvant (before surgery) treatment with Taxotere® (docetaxel) and Iressa® (gefitinib) is well tolerated in men with high-risk locally advanced prostate cancer. This study was published in the journal Cancer.
The addition of radiation therapy to hormone therapy for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer reduces prostate cancer deaths by 50%, according to the results of a Scandinavian study published in the Lancet.
Excess body weight coupled with a high C-peptide level among men with prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of death from the disease. These results were recently published in an early online version of the Lancet Oncology.
Patients with early prostate cancer who are treated with initial surgery appear to have reduced death from prostate cancer compared with those who undergo watchful waiting as initial therapy. These results were recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
In a Phase III clinical trial among men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for nonmetastatic prostate cancer, treatment with investigational drug denosumab improved bone density and reduced the risk of vertebral fractures.
Among prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), treatment with Fareston® (toremifene citrate) reduces the risk of new spinal fractures. These results were presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
A recent study conducted by the American Cancer Society reports that although few cancer survivors follow recommendations for lifestyle changes aimed to improve health and well-being, adhering to these guidelines may improve quality of life among prostate cancer survivors. Full details of the study were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A recent study indicates that prostate cancer treatment may be associated with changes in quality of life that impact satisfaction with treatment outcomes for both patients and their spouses or partners. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, androgen suppression therapy (AST), also referred to as androgen deprivation therapy, in addition to radiation therapy improved survival in some men with early prostate cancer. This improvement was limited to men with high-risk prostate cancer and those without other significant medical conditions.
Compared with radiation therapy alone, a short course of androgen deprivation therapy before radiation therapy improves several outcomes among men with locally advanced prostate cancer. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Cancer, a family intervention that offered support and information to prostate cancer patients and their spouses provided important benefits, particularly to the spouses.
Among men with locally advanced prostate cancer, being overweight or obese is linked with a higher risk of death from prostate cancer. These results were published in the journal Cancer.
According to results presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO), walking can reverse the effects of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on bone loss among men with prostate cancer.
Among prostate cancer patients with a biopsy Gleason score of 7, those with a tertiary grade of 5 are more likely to experience a post-treatment PSA increase (PSA failure) than those without a tertiary grade of 5. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, surgery appears to improve survival compared with other treatment approaches for early prostate cancer, particularly in young men with more aggressive cancers.
At the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), presenters addressed many aspects of the disease from early detection to management of advanced stage. This review attempts to summarize a selection of interesting abstracts presented at the meeting and discuss the possible impact on current management of the disease.
The 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prostate Cancer Symposium covered topics including risk factors, screening, prevention, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a marker, risk assessment, local treatments, biochemical failure, complications of therapy, and developmental therapeutics.
According to an early online publication of Cancer, androgen deprivation therapy increases cardiovascular risks and may impact survival in men with low-risk prostate cancer.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, patients with prostate cancer who have a prostatectomy performed by a more experienced surgeon tend to have better outcomes.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Urology, men diagnosed with prostate cancer may experience improved health as a result of increased preventive and therapeutic interventions for other medical problems.
According to an article recently published in the journal Cancer, middle-aged men who are obese at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis have a significantly worse overall survival than those who are not overweight.
At the 2006 meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in November there were 10 abstracts presented that describe a new system for measuring and monitoring organ motion in real time during external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Urology, hormone therapy for patients with early or locally advanced prostate cancer results in impressive long-term outcomes.
Among men who have undergone prostatectomy for locally advanced prostate cancer (prostate cancer that has spread to nearby tissues), post-surgery radiation therapy reduces the likelihood of PSA increase and cancer recurrence but does not appear to significantly affect risk of distant metastases or overall survival. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of Urology, Zometa® (zoledronic acid) appears to reduce bone loss caused by hormone therapy among patients with prostate cancer that has not spread to distant sites in the body.
According to results recently presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the addition of hormone therapy to radiation therapy improves progression-free survival among patients with locally advanced prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, Cialis® (tadalafil) effectively treats erectile dysfunction in men treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, use of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist for the treatment of non-metastatic prostate cancer may increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
According to the results of a study published in The Journal of Urology, use of high-dose intensity modulated radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer results in good long-term cancer control.
According to results recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, pomegranate juice may significantly slow the progression of early prostate cancer. However, further study is necessary to confirm these findings and determine potential effects on survival.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of Urology, the addition of initial hormone therapy to radiation therapy improves long-term survival compared to radiation therapy and delayed hormone therapy among patients with early prostate cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.
According to an article recently published in the journal Cancer, the lowest levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) during therapy combined with Gleason score can be used to predict death from prostate cancer among men with early prostate cancer who undergo local treatment.
Among men receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer, the addition of external beam radiation therapy to low-dose rate brachytherapy reduced the likelihood of rise in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after treatment compared to use of low-dose rate brachytherapy alone. These results were published in the journal Urology.
The decision about whether a patient will receive androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer is driven more by the particular urologist a patient sees than by characteristics of the tumor or the patient. These results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
According to results recently presented at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), radiation following surgery reduces cancer recurrences in men with early prostate cancer.
Among patients undergoing radical cystectomy (removal of bladder) or radical prostatectomy (removal of prostate), the probability of dying during hospitalization was lower at hospitals that performed a greater number of these specific procedures (high-volume hospitals). Hospital volume was not linked with in-hospital mortality after radical nephrectomy (removal of kidney). These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A study of prostate cancer patients over the age of 65 found that men who underwent radical prostatectomy reported generally good quality of life after treatment. These results were published in the journal BJU International.
Among men under the age of 60, treatment of localized prostate cancer with radical prostatectomy alone resulted in prolonged cancer-free survival for a majority of men. These results were published in the journal Urology.
Among men with locally advanced or recurrent prostate cancer, short-term treatment with Lupron Depot® (leuprolide) and Casodex® (bicalutamide) increased body fat and decreased insulin sensitivity. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, men with prostate cancer whose prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels rise during hormone therapy given prior to radiation therapy have poorer survival than those whose PSA levels do not rise during this period.
Although men who receive androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer are more likely than other men to be diagnosed with depression, memory problems, or fatigue, this may be the result of differences in age, cancer stage, and the presence of other serious health problems rather than androgen deprivation by itself. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
An experimental formulation of leuprolide, administered by injection every six months, safely and effectively reduced serum testosterone levels in men with prostate cancer. These results were published in the Journal of Urology.
According to a study published in the journal Cancer, prostate cancer patients treated with long-term androgen deprivation therapy have an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), potentially increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease.
According to a recent article published in the Journal of Urology, further data shows an increased risk of fractures in men with prostate cancer who are undergoing hormone therapy.
Men with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 kg/m2 or higher have a roughly 69% greater risk of prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy than normal-weight men, according to a study published in Urology.
According to a recent article published in Urology, further evidence indicates that treatment with Zometa (zoledronic acid) for one year prevents bone loss in patients with advanced prostate cancer who are undergoing hormone therapy.
According to a recent article published in the Lancet Oncology, six months of androgen deprivation therapy given before and during radiation therapy improves cancer-free survival and reduces the risk of cancer progression in men with locally advanced prostate cancer. However, it is important for individuals to speak with their physician regarding their individual risks and benefits of treatment with androgen deprivation therapy.
Zometa® (zoledronic acid) reduces bone loss and promotes bone recovery among prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, according to results presented at the 2005 annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, some prostate cancer patients who experience a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increase after radical prostatectomy will have good outcomes after additional treatment with radiation alone. Others may benefit from a combination of radiation and hormonal therapies.
After radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, men who have positive surgical margins (evidence that surgery may not have entirely removed the cancer) are more likely to have a prostate cancer recurrence than men who do not have positive surgical margins, according to a study published in The Journal of Urology.
Among men with prostate cancer that has extended beyond the outer covering of the prostate, those who receive radiation therapy immediately after their prostatectomy survive longer without a worsening of their cancer than those who are treated with prostatectomy alone, according to a study published in The Lancet.
According to two recent articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, factors associated with an increased risk of death from prostate cancer have been identified. Patients with factors that place them at a higher risk of a cancer recurrence or death may wish to proceed with more aggressive therapy than patients with a lower risk.
The Journal of Clinical Oncology has recently published an article indicating that a new prostate cancer therapy has shown promise in early clinical trials.
According to a recent article published in the International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, and Physics, the addition of the hormone therapy agent goserelin (Zoladex®) following radiation therapy improves survival in men with locally advanced prostate cancer.
Researchers from Greece have reported that the treatment combination consisting of Taxotere® (docetaxel), estramustine (Emcyt®) and Zometa® (zoledronic acid) is an effective and safe therapeutic regimen for men with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The details of this report appeared in the January 2005 issue of Urology.
The Dendreon Corportation announced that a dendritic cell vaccine, Provenge®, was associated with a median survival benefit of 4.5 months in a phase 3 study in advanced prostate cancer. This study will be presented later this month at the 2005 Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Symposium in California and at the 2005 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
According to a recent article published in the journal Cancer, men with prostate cancer who are receiving androgen deprivation therapy are not being adequately evaluated or treated for bone loss.
According to results recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, treatment with androgen deprivation therapy increases the risk of bone fractures in men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), hormone therapy, also referred to as androgen deprivation therapy, increases the risk of bone fractures in men with prostate cancer that has not spread to distant sites in the body.
According to recall notices issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) and BotanicLab, consumers should immediately stop using PC-SPES and SPES herbal supplements. Laboratory testing conducted by DHS identified undeclared prescription medications in these formulas that could cause serious side effects, particularly if combined with other prescribed medications.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Urology, watchful waiting may be an appropriate option for select patients with prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, long-term hormone therapy following radiation therapy appears beneficial in the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer, particularly those considered to be high risk.
According to results presented at the plenary session of the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology, a higher overall dose of radiation given over 6.5 weeks may be more beneficial than a lower radiation dose given over 4 weeks for treatment of localized prostate cancer. However, the overall doses used in this particular study were far lower than what has been shown as optimal; therefore, these results may not appropriately convey responses that might be achieved with radiation schedules used at present.
According to results presented at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology, further evidence indicates that the addition of immediate hormone therapy to standard therapy appears to improve progression-free survival in patients with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer.
1
According to results presented at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, intermittent hormone therapy appears to be a feasible treatment option for patients with prostate cancer that has recurred following radiation therapy.
According to results presented at the annual meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society, the agent Cialis (tadalafil) improves erectile dysfunction in patients who have undergone a surgical procedure for prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the journal
Urology, neoadjuvant
Taxotere® (docetaxel) and estramustine appears to be effective initial treatment for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The Journal of Urology, the use of contrast enhanced color Doppler in endorectal ultrasound improves the detection of prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 39th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, hormone therapy delivered directly following radiation therapy improves survival compared to later delivery of hormone therapy.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Urology, Zometa® (zoledronic acid) appears to reduce bone loss in men with prostate cancer being treated with androgen deprivation therapy.
According to an article recently published in
Experimental Biology and Medicine, lycopene supplementation prior to surgery may reduce the severity of cancer in prostate cancer patients.
According to an article recently published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, soy isoflavones appear not to damage DNA of cancer patients or healthy volunteers.
According to a study recently published in the journal
Cancer, green tea failed to reduce prostate specific antigen levels in patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Results from a phase II trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests that weekly calcitriol and
Taxotere® (docetaxel) may be a promising treatment for patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the use of long-acting Eligard® (leuprolide) once every 4 months for the use of hormone therapy in patients with prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, patients undergoing radical prostatectomies appear to have fewer complications and shorter hospital stays if their surgeon performs large volumes of prostatectomies each year.
1 These findings are consistent with a previous study evaluating surgical side effects of a prostatectomy and the annual surgical volume of a physician.
2
According to a recent article published in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, tomato-based foods may help to lower PSA levels in patients already diagnosed with prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the journal
Cancer, men with prostate cancer being treated with androgen deprivation therapy have an increased risk of osteoporosis and obesity.
According to a recent article in the
Journal of Urology, earlier treatment with a radical prostatectomy may improve long-term outcomes in patients who develop metastatic prostate cancer; however, further trials that directly compare different treatment regimens are warranted.
According to a recent article in the
International Journal of Radiation Oncology- Biology-Physics, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) appears to be safe and effective treatment for localized prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The Lancet, hormonal therapy during and after radiation appears to reduce cancer recurrences and improve survival in patients with prostate cancer that has not spread to distant sites in the body.
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of some side effects caused by a radical prostatectomy appear to be reduced if a patient is treated at a high-volume hospital and by a surgeon who performs a high volume of procedures annually.
According to an article published in the journal
Radiology, the addition of magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging to conventional endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) improves the accuracy in determining the extent of prostate cancer in patients, which may ultimately lead to optimal treatment decisions.
According to a recent article published in the journal
Cancer, patients with locally advanced prostate cancer may have improved outcomes if treated with chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy in addition to radiation or surgery.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Treatment depends on the stage, or extent of spread of the disease, but may consist of surgery, delaying treatment until the cancer progresses, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, biologic therapy (utilizing the body’s immune system to fight cancer), and/or chemotherapy. Patients with advanced localized prostate cancer have cancer that has spread outside the prostate, but not to distant sites in the body. A common form of treatment for these patients is external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), in which high-dose x-rays from a machine are aimed at the affected area. Another form of radiation therapy, called brachytherapy, involves the placement of small “seeds” of radioactive material directly into the prostate gland. Brachytherapy has been used extensively to treat earlier stage prostate cancer and has recently emerged as potential augmentation to EBRT for patients with advanced localized prostate cancer. Results from a recent study published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest that the use of brachytherapy in addition to EBRT may be more effective treatment than EBRT alone for patients with advanced localized prostate cancer.
The treatment options for prostate cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy, depending on the stage (extent) of disease. For many persons with prostate cancer, the choice of treatment relies not only on which therapy will most effectively fight the disease, but also on which therapy will offer the best quality of life. Now, researchers from Missouri say that 6 years after diagnosis, most men are no longer bothered by problems with urinary function, but do experience some difficulty with sexual function, regardless of the type of treatment they received.
Radiation therapy for persons who have elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after surgery appears, in many cases, to result in the suppression of PSA levels for 5 or more years. This finding, from researchers in Minnesota, is important because an elevated PSA level is 1 of the most important indications that previous treatment may not have succeeded entirely and more treatment is needed.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Two of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer are surgery and radiation therapy. While these therapies are often effective, they can be associated with side effects such as difficulty with urinary and/or sexual function. Now, several studies show that the use of sildenafil (Viagra) may help reverse impotence in men who suffer this condition after cancer treatment.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Radiation therapy and surgery, for example, are thought to be treatments of similar effectiveness for persons with localized prostate cancer (cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body). Now, researchers report that radiation therapy, compared with surgery, is associated with a small increased risk for developing second cancers 5 to 15 years after treatment. This slight increased risk may not play a significant role in treatment choices for older men, but may be a consideration for younger men with prostate cancer.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. Two of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer are radiation therapy and a surgical procedure, called a radical prostatectomy. Researchers have been comparing these 2 approaches to determine which is the most effective. Now, a study in the January 2000 issue of
Cancer shows that radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy are equally effective treatments against localized prostate cancer.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. One of the most common treatments for localized prostate cancer is radiation therapy, using high-energy radiation with either an external beam or a radioactive implant that is placed in the prostate gland. While this therapy is effective, some men still have a recurrence (or return) of the cancer. For this reason, researchers are investigating different types of tests that can help determine whether treatment has been successful and predict whether a recurrence of cancer is likely or unlikely. Researchers from Georgia say that a test for the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels can help make this determination.
External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is an effective treatment for localized prostate cancer. Following EBRT, persistence or recurrence of cancer within the prostate occurs in up to 50% of cases. Radiation doses delivered to the prostate gland have traditionally been limited by toxicity to the rectum and bladder. Newer computer systems utilizing three-dimension conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) techniques may allow delivery of an increased radiation dose to the cancer while minimizing toxicity to surrounding normal organs. In order to determine whether higher radiation doses are safe and feasible, a clinical study was designed to test four radiation dose levels using 3D-CRT in patients with localized prostate cancer.
Cancer of the prostate, a male sex gland located near the bladder and rectum, is a type of cancer that occurs commonly in older men. Treatment for prostate cancer depends on the stage of disease (extent of disease at the time of diagnosis), and may include surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and/or biologic therapy to help the immune system fight the cancer.
Results of a study presented at the
Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology suggest that radiation to the entire pelvis is more effective in delaying progression of prostate cancer than prostate-only radiation, especially when combined with hormone therapy delivered before (neoadjuvant) or during radiation treatment.
A novel agent, ABT-627, appears to delay the progression of cancer in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer with few side effects, according to recent reports presented at the 37
th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
A clinical trial to evaluate the effects of samarium-153 lexidronam in patients with metastatic prostate cancer has recently been launched. Approximately 85% of patients with advanced cancers, particularly those of breast, prostate, and lung origin, ultimately experience spread of the original cancer to their bones. Once the cancer cells have infiltrated the bone, the cancer begins to grow and expand within the bone, causing severe pain and bone brittleness. The intense pain caused by bone metastases can greatly impair the quality of life for patients, leading to chronic suffering and immobility. Additionally, bone brittleness caused by the cancer can lead to bone fractures, also resulting in extreme pain, extended convalescence, anxiety, depression, and excessive medical costs. Often, chemotherapy, radiation and/or hormone therapy are utilized to shrink the cancer in order to alleviate or lessen the pain. Although these treatments often provide initial relief, cancer cells tend to become resistant to these forms of treatment. Thus, research is ongoing in an attempt to provide novel effective therapies to be utilized for the treatment of bone metastases.
Results from a recent clinical trial published in the
BJU International suggest that the combination of the chemotherapy agent mitozantrone plus hormonal therapy may extend survival by over 3 years compared to hormonal therapy alone in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer.
There are many treatment options available for persons with prostate cancer. A recent emphasis in determining the most effective treatment strategy has been focused on individualizing therapy for each patient according to differing biological characteristics of the cancer. There are two important benefits of individualizing therapy: 1) the achievement of optimal treatment strategies for each patient, and 2) the sparing of some patients from unnecessary treatment. Results from a recent clinical study published in the journal
Cancer indicate the effectiveness of a new inexpensive method to help identifty patients who are at high risk for a cancer recurrence following a radical prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate gland and surrounding tissue). These high-risk patients may benefit from additional therapy to prevent recurrences while patients not at high-risk may be spared from additional therapy and related side effects.
Suramin, a drug under study for the palliative care of men with advanced prostate cancer, should be limited to persons with disease that has already been treated and has become resistant to hormone therapy, according to new research findings from the Southwest Oncology Group. Suramin has been shown to benefit men with disease that has become resistant to hormone therapy, but proved to have too many side effects when combined with hormone therapy as an initial, first-line treatment for advanced prostate cancer.
The agent leuprolide, a type of hormone therapy, has long been used to decrease the testosterone levels in some men with prostate cancer to stop the progression of disease and prolong survival time. The therapy is usually administered with intramuscular injections every 1, 3, or 4 months. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a leuprolide acetetate implant (Viadur), for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. This drug product is delivered via a titanium device that is placed under the skin of the upper arm, providing continuous leuprolide therapy for a full year.
Patients with prostate cancer documented to involve the pelvic lymph nodes have an average time to cancer progression of approximately 18 months, and this is reduced to less than 12 months in patients with high grade malignancies. Historically, standard treatment of these patients has been with hormonal therapy, surgery, or radiation therapy. Treatment with either hormonal therapy or radiation therapy is associated with an approximate 55% chance of patients surviving 5 years without evidence of cancer progression compared to approximately 20-40% for patients treated with surgery. It has been demonstrated in several other cancers that the best results can be achieved using multi-modality treatments, which combine chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and hormonal therapy into a single treatment strategy.
Locally advanced prostate cancer remains a challenging disease and is often difficult to cure. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is the most common treatment for stage III (C) prostate cancer. Hormone therapy is an effective treatment for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer, and may work together with local irradiation to increase prostate cancer cell kill. In order to determine whether the addition of hormonal therapy to radiation therapy improves the outcome for locally advanced prostate cancer, a clinical study was conducted in Europe that compared radiation therapy to radiation therapy plus hormone therapy.
Results from a large clinical trial indicate that the antiandrogen, bicalutamide, prevents cancer progression in patients with early stage prostate cancer, as recently reported at the 96
th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association.
For patients with prostate cancer, the Gleason score combined with pathological category (extent of disease) following a radical prostatectomy are factors which appear to most accurately predict the risk for recurrence following surgery, according to a recent article published in the journal
Cancer. Patients at a high risk of experiencing a recurrence according to these factors may benefit from novel adjuvant therapies, while patients considered to have a low risk may be spared from unnecessary treatment.
More than 80% of patients treated for prostate cancer subsequently suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to a study recently published in the
Journal of Urology.
A novel anti-cancer drug, CCI-779, has shown promise in safely producing anti-cancer responses in patients with some types of advanced cancers. (
European Society of Medical Oncology, 2000).
In a large U.S. cancer database, 14% of prostate cancer diagnoses occurred among men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 4.0 ng/mL or lower. More than half of these men had cancer that was considered “low-risk,” but roughly three-quarters were treated aggressively with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Among men with bone metastases from prostate cancer, denosumab was more effective than Zometa® (zoledronic acid) at delaying or preventing bone complications such as fracture. Results from this Phase III clinical trial will be presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Men with prostate cancer are at a higher risk for several types of thromboembolic diseases (blood clots), with men undergoing endocrine therapy having the highest risk, according to the results of a study published in the Lancet Oncology.
The combination of Avastin® (bevacizumab), Thalomid® (thalidomide), and Taxotere® (docetaxel) is highly active in hormone-refractory prostate cancer, according to the results of a study published early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The investigational vaccine known as PROSTVAC-VF appears to significantly prolong survival in patients with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer, according to the results of a Phase II study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The immunotherapy agent Provenge® (sipuleucel-T) significantly prolongs overall survival in men with metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer, according to follow-up data presented at the 2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.
Among men with bone metastases from prostate cancer, the investigational drug denosumab was more effective than Zometa® (zoledronic acid) at delaying or preventing bone complications such as fracture. Results from this Phase III clinical trial will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting.
In men with locally advanced prostate cancer, the addition of androgen deprivation therapy to radiation therapy improves overall and progression-free survival without substantially affecting cardiovascular mortality. These results, based on close to 10 years of follow-up, were presented at a European cancer conference.
Hormone therapy used to treat men with advanced prostate cancer may lead to an increased risk of heart disease, according to the results of a study presented on September 22, 2009 at Europe’s largest cancer congress, ECCO 15-ESMO 34, in Berlin.
Clodronate reduces the risk of death by 23% in men with metastatic prostate cancer, according to the results of a study published in The Lancet Oncology.
A single infusion of Zometa® (zoledronic acid) upon initiation of androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer reduces bone mineral loss and maintains bone mineral density for 12 months, according to the results of a study published in Cancer.
According to the results of the Phase III IMPACT trial, treatment with Provenge® (sipuleucel-T), an investigational immunotherapy, improved overall survival by 4.1 months among men with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. These results were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Urological Association.
According to the results of a Phase III clinical trial, treatment with Provenge® (sipuleucel-T), an investigational immunotherapy, improved overall survival among men with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. This information was provided in a press release from Dendreon. More detailed results will be presented later this month at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association.
Excess body weight coupled with a high C-peptide level among men with prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of death from the disease. These results were recently published in an early online version of the Lancet Oncology.
Patients who undergo preventive dental care prior to receiving therapy with bisphosphonates have a significantly reduced risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw. These results were published in an early online publication in the Annals of Oncology.
The use of radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of lung cancer and lung metastases from breast, colon, and prostate cancers and melanoma is effective and safe for some patients. These results were recently published in the Lancet Oncology.
The bone marker N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX) is associated with skeletal-related events and survival among patients with cancer that has spread to the bone (bone metastases). Improved outcomes may be achieved by reducing these markers through treatment with agents such as Zometa® (zoledronic acid). These results were recently published in the journal Cancer.
Among prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), treatment with Fareston® (toremifene citrate) reduces the risk of new spinal fractures. These results were presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
A recent study conducted by the American Cancer Society reports that although few cancer survivors follow recommendations for lifestyle changes aimed to improve health and well-being, adhering to these guidelines may improve quality of life among prostate cancer survivors. Full details of the study were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Cancer, a family intervention that offered support and information to prostate cancer patients and their spouses provided important benefits, particularly to the spouses.
According to results presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO), walking can reverse the effects of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on bone loss among men with prostate cancer.
At the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), presenters addressed many aspects of the disease from early detection to management of advanced stage. This review attempts to summarize a selection of interesting abstracts presented at the meeting and discuss the possible impact on current management of the disease.
The 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prostate Cancer Symposium covered topics including risk factors, screening, prevention, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a marker, risk assessment, local treatments, biochemical failure, complications of therapy, and developmental therapeutics.
According to an early online publication of Cancer, androgen deprivation therapy increases cardiovascular risks and may impact survival in men with low-risk prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in Lancet Oncology, injection of the radioactive substance radium-223 produced relatively few side effects and improved a measure of bone turnover in men with hormone refractory prostate cancer and bone metastases.
According to an article recently published in the journal Cancer, middle-aged men who are obese at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis have a significantly worse overall survival than those who are not overweight.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Cancer, repeated administration of Quadramet® (samarium sm-153 lexidronam) safely and effectively relieves pain from bone metastases in patients whose bone pain recurs after an initial response to Quadramet.
According to results recently presented at the 2006 annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium, Provenge® plus Taxotere® (docetaxel) improves outcomes compared to Taxotere alone in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Among men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy for metastatic prostate cancer, those who achieve a low PSA level by seven months after the start of treatment experience significantly better survival. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Among men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for newly diagnosed, metastatic prostate cancer, a decline in hemoglobin levels during the first months of treatment is linked with worse survival. These results were published in the journal Cancer.
The decision about whether a patient will receive androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer is driven more by the particular urologist a patient sees than by characteristics of the tumor or the patient. These results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
According to an article recently published in the Annals of Oncology, the bisphosphonate Zometa® (zoledronic acid) appears to reduce bone pain associated with cancer spread to the bone in patients with advanced prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in Urology, further evidence indicates that treatment with Zometa (zoledronic acid) for one year prevents bone loss in patients with advanced prostate cancer who are undergoing hormone therapy.
Zometa® (zoledronic acid) reduces bone loss and promotes bone recovery among prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, according to results presented at the 2005 annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York.
According to a study published in The Journal of Urology, screening men for levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) appears to reduce the probability of metastatic prostate cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the prostate).
The Journal of Clinical Oncology has recently published an article indicating that a new prostate cancer therapy has shown promise in early clinical trials.
A recent article in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management reports that the combination of chemotherapy and the drug Strontium-89 significantly reduces the pain associated with bone metastasis of prostate cancer.
Abbott Laboratories announced on Friday, February 11, 2005 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to file the New Drug Application (NDA) for its Selective Endothelin A Receptor Antagonist (SERA™), Xinlay™ (atrasentan) for the treatment of metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Researchers from Greece have reported that the treatment combination consisting of Taxotere® (docetaxel), estramustine (Emcyt®) and Zometa® (zoledronic acid) is an effective and safe therapeutic regimen for men with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The details of this report appeared in the January 2005 issue of Urology.
According to the results of a recent phase 2 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology, the new compound Irofulven produces responses in men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the journal Cancer, men with prostate cancer who are receiving androgen deprivation therapy are not being adequately evaluated or treated for bone loss.
According to results recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, treatment with androgen deprivation therapy increases the risk of bone fractures in men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Researchers from the U.S., Canada, Belgium, and the UK have reported that atrasentan (Xinlay™), a novel biological therapy, slowed progression of prostate cancer, including progression to the bones, and produced a small improvement in quality of life.
According to results presented at the 99th annual meeting of the American Urological Association, treatment consisting of chemotherapy plus hormone therapy together does not improve survival compared to hormone therapy followed by chemotherapy in advanced prostate cancer.
According to recall notices issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) and BotanicLab, consumers should immediately stop using PC-SPES and SPES herbal supplements. Laboratory testing conducted by DHS identified undeclared prescription medications in these formulas that could cause serious side effects, particularly if combined with other prescribed medications.
According to a recent article published in
BMJ, the use of bisphosphonates reduces the incidence of skeletal fractures in patients with bone metastasis.
According to results presented at the 39th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, hormone therapy delivered directly following radiation therapy improves survival compared to later delivery of hormone therapy.
According to an article recently published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, soy isoflavones appear not to damage DNA of cancer patients or healthy volunteers.
According to a study recently published in the journal
Cancer, green tea failed to reduce prostate specific antigen levels in patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Results from a phase II trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests that weekly calcitriol and
Taxotere® (docetaxel) may be a promising treatment for patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the use of long-acting Eligard® (leuprolide) once every 4 months for the use of hormone therapy in patients with prostate cancer.
According to recent proceedings at the 7th International Symposium on GnRH Analogues in Cancer and Human Reproduction, the hormonal agent Plenaxis™ (abarelix) appears to improve quality of life in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 2002 meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, green tea does not appear to be an effective treatment option for patients with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer.
For men with metastatic prostate cancer, effective therapies to alleviate pain and other symptoms of disease are often needed. Now, several studies indicate that an herbal supplement, called PC-SPES, may significantly reduce pain and decrease prostate-specific antigen levels in men who have metastatic prostate cancer that is resistant to hormone therapy.
According to recent results published in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, treatment with the bisphosphonate Zometa™ (zoledronic acid) may reduce skeletal events and bone pain in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The Lancet, hormonal therapy during and after radiation appears to reduce cancer recurrences and improve survival in patients with prostate cancer that has not spread to distant sites in the body.
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of some side effects caused by a radical prostatectomy appear to be reduced if a patient is treated at a high-volume hospital and by a surgeon who performs a high volume of procedures annually.
For patients with prostate cancer, the Gleason score combined with pathological category (extent of disease) following a radical prostatectomy are factors which appear to most accurately predict the risk for recurrence following surgery, according to a recent article published in the journal
Cancer. Patients at a high risk of experiencing a recurrence according to these factors may benefit from novel adjuvant therapies, while patients considered to have a low risk may be spared from unnecessary treatment.
The treatment options for prostate cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy, depending on the stage (extent) of disease. For many persons with prostate cancer, the choice of treatment relies not only on which therapy will most effectively fight the disease, but also on which therapy will offer the best quality of life. Now, researchers from Missouri say that 6 years after diagnosis, most men are no longer bothered by problems with urinary function, but do experience some difficulty with sexual function, regardless of the type of treatment they received.
A novel agent called exisulind has been shown to inhibit the rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in men with recurrent prostate cancer, according to a recent article published in the
Journal of Urology.
A novel agent, ABT-627, appears to delay the progression of cancer in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer and produces few side effects, according to results from preliminary clinical trials.
The chemotherapy combination consisting of estramustine, docetaxel and low-dose hydrocortisone appears to produce significant anti-cancer responses in approximately 50% of men with metastatic prostate cancer that no longer respond to hormone therapy, according to a recent study published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology. This regimen may be particularly helpful in maintaining physical functioning and in relieving pain for patients with this disease.
Cancer of the prostate, a male sex gland located near the bladder and rectum, is a type of cancer that occurs commonly in older men. Treatment for prostate cancer depends on the stage of disease (extent of disease at the time of diagnosis), and may include surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and/or biologic therapy to help the immune system fight the cancer.
Testosterone is a male hormone produced mainly by the testicles. Many organs in the body are composed of cells that respond to or are regulated by exposure to testosterone. Cells in the prostate gland have testosterone receptors and when exposed to testosterone are stimulated to grow. When cells that have testosterone receptors become cancerous, the growth of these cancer cells can be increased by exposure to testosterone. The basis of hormone therapy as a treatment for prostate cancer is to block or prevent the cancer cells from being exposed to testosterone. Hormone therapy is cytostatic (it prevents cancer cells from growing) not cytotoxic (kills cancer cells). There are two methods of delivering hormone therapy: 1) surgical removal of the testicles (orchiectomy) and 2) medical anti-androgen hormone therapy.
The chemotherapy combination of oral estramustine and cyclophosphamide is effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life in men who have metastatic prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy, say researchers from Italy. This regimen may be particularly helpful in maintaining physical functioning and in relieving pain.
Testosterone is a male hormone produced mainly by the testicles. Many organs in the body are composed of cells that respond to or are regulated by exposure to testosterone. Cells in the prostate gland have testosterone receptors and when exposed to testosterone are stimulated to grow. When cells that have testosterone receptors become cancerous, the growth of these cancer cells can be increased by exposure to testosterone. The basis of hormone therapy as a treatment for prostate cancer is to block or prevent the cancer cells from being exposed to testosterone. Hormone therapy is cytostatic (it prevents cancer cells from growing) not cytotoxic (kills cancer cells). There are two methods of delivering hormone therapy: 1) surgical removal of the testicles (orchiectomy) and 2) medical anti-androgen hormone therapy.
In this clinical study, men with prostate cancer that no longer responded to hormonal treatment received 1 of 2 treatments; 1) chemotherapy treatment with the drugs Novantrone® (mitoxantrone) and prednisone or 2) a low dose of the anti-inflammatory agent, prednisone, alone. The purpose of this direct comparison was to determine whether chemotherapy treatment could improve the overall well-being and/or survival of patients with late stage hormone refractory prostate cancer.
Jevtana® (cabazitaxel), a new chemotherapy drug, was approved for use in combination with prednisone for thetreatment of patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer previously treated with a Taxotere® (docetaxel)-containing regimen.
Among men with bone metastases from prostate cancer, denosumab was more effective than Zometa® (zoledronic acid) at delaying or preventing bone complications such as fracture. Results from this Phase III clinical trial will be presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Provenge® (sipuleucel-T), a type of immunotherapy, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic, metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
An investigational anti-androgen drug called MDV3100 has shown encouraging anti-tumor activity in patients with progressive, metastatic, hormone-resistant prostate cancer, according to the preliminary results of a study published early online in the Lancet.
Men with prostate cancer are at a higher risk for several types of thromboembolic diseases (blood clots), with men undergoing endocrine therapy having the highest risk, according to the results of a study published in the Lancet Oncology.
The investigational vaccine known as PROSTVAC-VF appears to significantly prolong survival in patients with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer, according to the results of a Phase II study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Among men with metastatic, hormone refractory prostate cancer that has progressed after Taxotere® (docetaxel)-based chemotherapy, the investigational chemotherapy drug cabazitaxel may improve survival. The results of this Phase III clinical trial will be presented at the ASCO 2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
According to the results of Phase II clinical trials, the investigational drug abiraterone appears to be active in men with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
According to the results of the Phase III IMPACT trial, treatment with Provenge® (sipuleucel-T), an investigational immunotherapy, improved overall survival by 4.1 months among men with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. These results were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Urological Association.
According to the results of a Phase III clinical trial, treatment with Provenge® (sipuleucel-T), an investigational immunotherapy, improved overall survival among men with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. This information was provided in a press release from Dendreon. More detailed results will be presented later this month at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association.
Excess body weight coupled with a high C-peptide level among men with prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of death from the disease. These results were recently published in an early online version of the Lancet Oncology.
Patients who undergo preventive dental care prior to receiving therapy with bisphosphonates have a significantly reduced risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw. These results were published in an early online publication in the Annals of Oncology.
The novel agent abiraterone, which is still in early-phase clinical trials, may provide anti-cancer responses in patients whose prostate cancer progressed following androgen deprivation therapy. These results were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Radiation therapy following a recurrence of prostate cancer may reduce deaths specifically caused by the disease. These results were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The bone marker N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX) is associated with skeletal-related events and survival among patients with cancer that has spread to the bone (bone metastases). Improved outcomes may be achieved by reducing these markers through treatment with agents such as Zometa® (zoledronic acid). These results were recently published in the journal Cancer.
The immunotherapeutic vaccine GVAX® provides promising activity in patients with recurrent prostate cancer. These results were recently presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Intermittent administration of Taxotere® (docetaxel) appears to provide as much benefit, with fewer side effects, than continuous administration of Taxotere among patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. These results were recently presented at the 23rd annual meeting of the European Association of Urology.
According to the results of a study published in the journal Cancer, a family intervention that offered support and information to prostate cancer patients and their spouses provided important benefits, particularly to the spouses.
According to an early online publication in The Lancet, the addition of the chemotherapy agent Emcyt® (estramustine) improves survival of patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer.
Abiraterone, an experimental drug that inhibits the production of male hormones such as testosterone by both the testes and the adrenal glands, has shown promise in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer. These results were presented at the Prostate Cancer Foundation Scientific Retreat.
At the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), presenters addressed many aspects of the disease from early detection to management of advanced stage. This review attempts to summarize a selection of interesting abstracts presented at the meeting and discuss the possible impact on current management of the disease.
The 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prostate Cancer Symposium covered topics including risk factors, screening, prevention, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a marker, risk assessment, local treatments, biochemical failure, complications of therapy, and developmental therapeutics.
According to results recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, the immunotherapeutic agent GVAX® provides anticancer activity and is generally well tolerated among men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer who have not received prior chemotherapy. Higher doses of GVAX appear to provide improved outcomes compared with lower doses in this patient population.
According to results presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the treatment combination consisting of the immunotherapy agent GVAX® plus the agent ipilimumab (MDX-010) provides encouraging anticancer responses and is generally well tolerated in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study published in Lancet Oncology, injection of the radioactive substance radium-223 produced relatively few side effects and improved a measure of bone turnover in men with hormone refractory prostate cancer and bone metastases.
According to results recently published in the Annals of Oncology, the chemotherapy combination consisting of Taxotere® (docetaxel) plus Emcyt® (estramustine) delays disease progression and modestly improves survival when compared with Taxotere alone in the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results from two clinical trials recently presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Urologic Association (AUA), the immunotherapeutic agent Provenge® (sipuleucel-T) followed by Taxotere® (docetaxel) may improve survival in men with hormone refractory prostate cancer who are not experiencing symptoms.
A panel of advisors to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended the approval of Provenge® (APC8015) for the treatment of metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The FDA tends to follow the panel’s recommendations, although it is not obligated to do so.
According to an article recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the bisphosphate Fosamax® (alendronate) can prevent and reverse bone loss associated with androgen deprivation treatment (ADT) for prostate cancer.
According to a press release by Pharmion Corporation, the investigative agent satraplatin continues to demonstrate potential benefit for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer who have stopped responding to prior treatment with chemotherapy, particularly among those who continue treatment with satraplatin for longer periods of time.
According to a press release by Sanofi-Aventis, long-term results indicate that Taxotere® (docetaxel) improves survival in patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results recently presented at the 2006 annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium, Provenge® plus Taxotere® (docetaxel) improves outcomes compared to Taxotere alone in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to an article recently released by Pharmion, their investigative chemotherapy agent satraplatin improves progression-free survival among men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results recently published in the journal Cancer, intermittent treatment with hormone therapy may be an acceptable treatment alternative with fewer side effects than standard administration for men with recurrent prostate cancer who have received radiation therapy.
According to an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, treatment with Provenge® (sipuleucel-T) improves survival with few side effects in the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prostate Cancer Symposium, the immunotherapy agent GVAX® appears promising in the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
The treatment combination consisting of the immunotherapy agent GVAX® plus the agent ipilimumab (MDX-010) provides encouraging anticancer responses and is well-tolerated in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. These results were presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
According to an article recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, long-term quality of life is not severely compromised among men with prostate cancer who are treated with radiation therapy and androgen deprivation therapy following surgery.
According to an article recently published in the journal Urology, treatment consisting of Taxol® (paclitaxel) and Paraplatin® (carboplatin) provides superior outcomes compared to Novantrone® (mitroxantrone) in the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prostate Cancer Symposium, a treatment strategy involving cessation of chemotherapy until disease progression achieves cancer control in men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results recently published in the journal Cancer, initial chemotherapy treatment with the agent Taxotere® (docetaxel) followed by Novantrone® (mitoxantrone) appears more favorable than treatment with initial Novantrone followed by Taxotere in men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC).
According to a press release from the Cytogen Corporation, treatment of advanced, hormone refractory prostate cancer with the chemotherapy drug Taxotere® (docetaxel) and Quadramet® (samarium sm-153 lexidronam)—an injection that delivers radiation to bone metastases—reduces prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels.
Results from a study of 19 men with hormone refractory prostate cancer indicate that an experimental cancer vaccine produces an immune response, appears to be safe, and may slow the rate of increase of prostate specific antigen (PSA). These findings were published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Researchers from National Cancer Institute have reported progress in the development of a recombinant vaccinia-based vaccine for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer in combination with radiation therapy or anti-androgen therapy.
According to a pooled analysis of results from two large clinical trials, the immunotherapy agent Provenge® (D9902A) improves survival in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
The product Xinlay™ (atrasentan), which is not yet FDA-approved, is available to some patients with advanced prostate cancer through an expanded access program.
According to results recently presented at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, an new drug called Xinlay (atrasentan) that is not yet FDA approved delays cancer progression and bone pain in patients diagnosed with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Xinlay represents a novel therapeutic approach to patients with this stage of prostate cancer.
According to the results of a study recently presented at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology, the vaccine Provenge® improves survival in asymptomatic hormone resistant prostate cancer.
Abbott Laboratories announced on Friday, February 11, 2005 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to file the New Drug Application (NDA) for its Selective Endothelin A Receptor Antagonist (SERA™), Xinlay™ (atrasentan) for the treatment of metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Researchers from Greece have reported that the treatment combination consisting of Taxotere® (docetaxel), estramustine (Emcyt®) and Zometa® (zoledronic acid) is an effective and safe therapeutic regimen for men with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The details of this report appeared in the January 2005 issue of Urology.
According to results recently published in the Journal of Urology, a prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate) provides effective results in patients with prostate cancer whose disease is progressing following treatment with radiation therapy.
According to the results of a recent phase 2 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology, the new compound Irofulven produces responses in men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results from two clinical trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Taxotere® (docetaxel)-based chemotherapy regimens improve survival in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Taxotere® in combination with prednisone was recently approved for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology, a compound referred to as Y-J591 may provide a treatment option for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Y-J591 is currently in the early stages of clinical trials.
According to a results recently presented at the 40th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the novel chemotherapy agent ixabepilone (BMS-247550) produces anti-cancer responses in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in The Journal of Urology, men with recurrent prostate cancer appear to have improved survival if their initial treatment was surgery, compared to those whose initial treatment was radiation.
According to results from two trials presented at the 40th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Taxotere® (docetaxel)- based chemotherapy regimens improve survival compared to standard therapy in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Taxotere® (docetaxel) in addition to prednisone for the treatment of hormone-independent prostate cancer.
According to results recently presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, radiation therapy for a cancer recurrence following surgery may improve long-term survival in some men.
According to results recently presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, the time it takes for a patient’s PSA level to double is a factor in predicting survival following surgery in patients with localized prostate cancer.
According to recall notices issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) and BotanicLab, consumers should immediately stop using PC-SPES and SPES herbal supplements. Laboratory testing conducted by DHS identified undeclared prescription medications in these formulas that could cause serious side effects, particularly if combined with other prescribed medications.
According to preliminary results presented at the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s 10th Annual Scientific Retreat, the vaccine Provenge® (APC8015) may improve survival for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, intermittent hormone therapy appears to be a feasible treatment option for patients with prostate cancer that has recurred following radiation therapy.
According to results presented at the 2003 European Conference on Clinical Oncology (ECCO), the addition of Thalomid® to combination chemotherapy appears promising in the treatment of advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in the journal
Cancer, the chemotherapy agent
Taxotere® (docetaxel) administered weekly appears to improve the quality of life for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results recently presented at the 39th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the treatment combination of
Taxotere® and Genasense" appears to produce anti-cancer activity in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, lowering PSA levels for which biopsies are recommended may improve the detection rate for prostate cancer, particularly in younger men, without significantly increasing the number of unnecessary biopsies.
According to an article recently published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, soy isoflavones appear not to damage DNA of cancer patients or healthy volunteers.
According to a study recently published in the journal
Cancer, green tea failed to reduce prostate specific antigen levels in patients with advanced prostate cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the use of long-acting Eligard® (leuprolide) once every 4 months for the use of hormone therapy in patients with prostate cancer.
According to a recent article in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, the addition of calcitriol may enhance the effectiveness and improve survival compared to
Taxotere® (docetaxel) alone in the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, high-dose calcitriol plus
Taxotere® (docetaxel) produces significant anti-cancer responses in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to results presented at the 2002 meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, green tea does not appear to be an effective treatment option for patients with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
BJU International, radiation therapy in patients who experience a cancer recurrence following a radical prostatectomy may provide an effective treatment option.
According to results presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology, the chemotherapy combination consisting of
Taxotere® (docetaxel), estramustine (Emcyte®) and prednisone appears to improve survival over the standard therapy of Novantrone® (mitoxantrone) and prednisone in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The Journal of Urology, the chemotherapy combination paclitaxel (Taxol®), estramustine and Paraplatin® (carboplatin) appears very effective in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer.
According to a recent article published in
The Journal of Urology, the treatment combination Novantrone® (mitoxantrone) plus prednisone improves anti-cancer responses but does not appear to significantly improve survival in men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
According to recent results published in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, treatment with the bisphosphonate Zometa™ (zoledronic acid) may reduce skeletal events and bone pain in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
According to results published in
Hematology/Oncology Today and presented at the 102nd Annual American Roentgen Ray Society Meeting, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appears to predict prostate cancer recurrences earlier than a prostate biopsy in patients previously treated for prostate cancer who have a rising PSA level.
According to a recent article published in
The New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of some side effects caused by a radical prostatectomy appear to be reduced if a patient is treated at a high-volume hospital and by a surgeon who performs a high volume of procedures annually.
According to results presented at the 38th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the treatment regimen containing
Taxotere® (docetaxel), estramustine (Emcyt®) and prednisone appears more effective than Novantrone® (mitoxantrone) and prednisone in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Men with hormone refractory cancer may experience pain and other symptoms from the disease. Because of significant improvement in pain relief observed with chemotherapy treatment, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first chemotherapy treatment of prostate cancer. Because of the demonstration of an improvement in control of prostate cancer with chemotherapy, many new chemotherapeutic agents, alone or in combination, as well as other novel compounds, are being evaluated in men with hormone refractory prostate cancer.
Despite the use of prostate-specific antigen screening for early stage prostate cancer, a substantial number of patients are diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Hormone therapy is an effective palliative treatment for symptomatic metastatic prostate cancer. Administration of hormone therapy for patients without symptoms (bone pain, urinary problems) has been more controversial. A clinical trial was designed and conducted in the United Kingdom that compared immediate hormone therapy to hormone therapy initiated at the time of cancer progression in patients with asymptomatic advanced or metastatic prostate cancer.
Hormone therapy is an effective palliative treatment for metastatic or recurrent prostate cancer. In most patients, however, prostate cancer eventually becomes hormone-resistant and progresses. Few treatment options exist for patients with metastatic hormone-resistant or refractory prostate cancer. Many patients are treated with a short course of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for localized metastatic bone pain. For patients with more widespread metastatic disease, EBRT options are less useful. Strontium-89 (Metastron®) is a radioactive nucleotide that preferentially travels to sites of bone metastases. Doctors in Canada directly compared administration of strontium-89 versus a placebo (no therapy) following a course of palliative radiation therapy.
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) has been called the most important tumor marker in oncology. Certainly in prostate cancer, it has revolutionized our ability to detect the disease early, as well as follow the course of the disease in patients after being treated with different therapies. Following a successful radical prostatectomy, all prostate tissue should be removed and the PSA should be undetectable. If the PSA level begins to elevate after a radical prostatectomy, this usually signals failure of treatment. However, it does not mean the patient is going to succumb to prostate cancer.
One of the major challenges in the treatment of cancer is to induce the patient’s immune system to destroy cancer cells. Inducing the immune system to fight cancer is difficult because the cancer is usually not recognized as something foreign. Many researchers are pursuing strategies for enhancing the body’s immune system to treat cancer because it may be complimentary to other therapies and is a relatively non-toxic way of preventing or treating cancer.
Monoclonal antibodies are a treatment that can locate cancer cells and kill them directly and avoid harming the normal cells. A protein called HER2 is found on the surface of some normal cells and plays a role in regulating cell growth. Monoclonal antibodies that attach to the HER2 protein can slow the growth of cancer cells and possibly stimulate the immune system to more effectively attack the cancer. A new anti HER2 monoclonal antibody (MDX-H210) is currently being evaluated in clinical studies in patients with prostate cancer.
Cryosurgery may be an effective treatment option for patients with locally recurrent prostate cancer, according to recent results published in the
Journal of Urology.
Low doses of dexamethasone may provide an effective treatment option with limited side effects for patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer, according to a recent article published in the journal
Cancer.
According to a recent study published in the
Journal of American Medical Society, men with localized prostate cancer (cancer that has not spread away from the prostate) may reduce their risk of a cancer recurrence with the use of androgen suppression therapy.
For men with advanced prostate cancer, effective therapies to alleviate pain and other symptoms of disease are often needed. The chemotherapy drug, suramin, was recently found to be beneficial in reducing pain and in prolonging the time before progression of disease for men with advanced prostate cancer that is resistant to hormone therapy.
The treatment options for prostate cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy, depending on the stage (extent) of disease. For many persons with prostate cancer, the choice of treatment relies not only on which therapy will most effectively fight the disease, but also on which therapy will offer the best quality of life. Now, researchers from Missouri say that 6 years after diagnosis, most men are no longer bothered by problems with urinary function, but do experience some difficulty with sexual function, regardless of the type of treatment they received.
