Your AI-Trained Oncology Knowledge Connection!
WASHINGTON-Monoclonal antibodies are the basis of many diagnostic tests, but now are catching on as therapy as well, said Neil Bander, MD, surgical director, Urologic Oncology Program, Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York. “This particular type of approach has now been validated clinically and is being used to treat patients with various types of cancer,” Dr. Bander said at the Kidney Cancer Association Annual Convention.
The NCI will face some of the difficulties related to insurance coverage that discourage clinical trial participants as the institute ratchets up its prostate cancer research program. NCI director Richard Klausner, MD, told Congress in June that the NCI
Doctors have suspected that radiation therapy helps prevent patients from dying of prostate cancer, but they had little scientific evidence to support that theory. Now, Richard Valicenti, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Jefferson
NEW YORK-When cancer patients go to the Internet for information on their disease, they are often overwhelmed by the thousands of sources available. The new Prostate Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients, issued jointly by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), “is an attempt to give patients a structure for processing information,” said Rodger Winn, MD, of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and a key player in the NCCN guidelines development. The NCCN is an alliance of 17 of the nation’s leading cancer centers.
Docetaxel (Taxotere) combined with estramustine phosphate (Emcyt) and low-dose hydrocortisone appears to be a promising treatment for men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer, according to the results of a phase II trial conducted
PHILADELPHIA-Lycopene, the phytonutrient that produces the red color in tomatoes, showed beneficial effects on the prostate cancers of a group of men scheduled for prostatectomy, researchers reported at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
Discontinuing the practice of drawing blood every week from patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer can save time and money without jeopardizing the patient’s care, a new study has found.
ASCO-Docetaxel (Taxotere) plus estramustine phosphate (Emcyt) and low-dose hydrocortisone proved effective and well tolerated in a phase II study of men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The study was conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) and presented at the ASCO annual meeting.
NEW YORK--The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) have collaborated to translate the NCCN prostate cancer guidelines into a patient-friendly resource for appropriate treatment, the two organizations announced at a press briefing.
UFT, a compound containing uracil and tegafur (a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil) in a 4:1 molar ratio, has been used in Japan for the treatment of and as adjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer. In phase II studies, 300 to 600
A prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of endocrine chemotherapy with uracil and tegafur (in a molar ratio of 4:1 [UFT]) in patients with prostate cancer. The study included two
The side effect profiles of various therapeutic modalities used in the definitive management of prostate cancer differ significantly, reported Tamara LaCouture, MD, and colleagues at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and
DALLAS-An analysis of SEER data shows small but steady decreases in prostate cancer mortality since 1991, Robert A. Stephenson, MD, said at the American Urological Association annual meeting. He attributed the decline to a combination of factors, including earlier detection and better treatment of advanced disease. Yet overall, he said, the data show that prostate cancer remains a major cause of death in men and may be undertreated in the elderly.
New research shows that a low-calorie diet slows the progress of prostate cancer in animals. Tumor progression was inhibited irrespective of how the calories were reduced; ie, by cutting fat or carbohydrates or by changing the overall diet. The research
The VA Cancer of the Prostate Outcomes Study (VA CaPOS) is collecting quality-of-life (QOL) information from prostate cancer patients, spouses, and physicians at six VA medical centers. Currently, 601 men with prostate
New Orleans-The advisability of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy in the management of prostate cancer is a hotly debated issue. At the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) spring refresher course, two opinion leaders in radiation oncology squared off on opposite sides of this issue.
BETHESDA, Md-The National Cancer Institute is funding a wide range of prostate cancer research, including genetic epidemiology, molecular diagnostics, diet and nutrition, animal models, surveillance, diagnostic imaging, clinical trials, prevention and early detection, and the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project .
WASHINGTON-The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has announced a national decision that Medicare will cover cryosurgery for patients with localized prostate cancer. The decision rescinds an October 1996 ruling against such coverage, which HCFA said reflected a lack of conclusive scientific evidence at that time in favor of the procedure. Additional evidence supporting its effectiveness led HCFA to reverse itself and grant coverage.
Dr. Vicini and colleagues provide an excellent review of the experience to date utilizing interstitial brachytherapy in the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer. As the authors mention, ample evidence suggests the existence of a dose-
Vicini and colleagues present an informative, compelling review of both past and recent clinical investigations of the use of brachytherapy in patients with prostate cancer, particularly those with locally advanced disease. The tables presented at the
BUFFALO, NY-Roswell Park Cancer Institute is offering a new blood test to detect early prostate cancer. The complexed prostate-specific antigen (cPSA) test appears to be more accurate than standard PSA at differentiating between prostate cancer and benign conditions, and thus may eliminate the need for unnecessary biopsies when PSA tests are ambiguous
ROCKVILLE, Md-Patients with advanced prostate cancer treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists have essentially the same survival rate and experience roughly the same side effects regardless of which drug they receive, according to a technology assessment report prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR).
CHICAGO-A Canadian study has shown that men with hormone-resistant prostate cancer have improved global and social function, fewer symptoms, and a greater improvement in quality of life (QOL) measures over time when mitoxantrone (Novantrone) is added to prednisone. A subset of patients who crossed over to mitoxantrone after prednisone therapy had failed also experienced significantly greater improvement in quality of life measures.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer (except skin cancer) in men. Several factors have been associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer, including age, ethnicity, family history, lifestyle, and
Ms. Bruner and colleagues from Fox Chase Cancer Center are to be congratulated for their comprehensive, well-designed program to maximize our understanding of prostate cancer in young men who are at high risk for developing the disease. I
