Prostate Cancer

Physicians have long known that male hormones fuel prostate cancer growth. That’s why therapies that block the production of androgen-or testosterone-provide some of the most effective therapies for advanced prostate cancer. Certain drugs, for

ATLANTA-Many urologists treating men with prostate cancer are unaware that their patients are experiencing such disturbing treatment side effects as hot flashes, altered bowel habits, or weight change, according to the results of a national survey announced at the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA).

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved ALZA Corporation’s new drug application for a

AstraZeneca recently filed a supplemental new drug application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new indication for its oral hormonal medication bicalutamide (Casodex). The supplemental application asks the FDA to approve

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla-Slight changes in the administration of salvage therapy after radical prostatectomy are among several revisions to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Practice Guidelines for Prostate Cancer. The revised guidelines recommend radiotherapy for men with positive margins whose prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels fail to fall to 0 ng/mL after surgery.

The results of an exploratory analysis published in the March 2000 issue of Urology suggest that prolonged combined androgen blockade (CAB) significantly increases survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer.

An estimated 180,400 new prostate cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year, and many of these patients will be diagnosed and treated at community cancer centers.

BALTIMORE-The free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has proved as accurate in revealing prostate cancer risk in black men as in whites. “It also shows that many African-American men could be spared the expense and trauma of prostate biopsies,” Alan W. Partin, MD, PhD, co-leader of the research team, said in a news release from Johns Hopkins University where Dr. Partin is professor of urology.

CLEVELAND-A program at Travis Air Force Base in California is educating men about the purpose of prostate cancer screening by mailing brochures to the women who use medical services on the base. “This is a novel approach to going after the top men’s cancer,” said Maj. (Dr.) Darryl C. Hunter, medical director of the General Huyser Regional Cancer Center at Travis Air Force Base. He spoke at the 33rd annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Education.

Hormonal therapy with the goserelin acetate implant (Zoladex) significantly increases overall survival rates in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer when administered at the onset of conventional external irradiation and continued for 3 years.

CHICAGO-Three-dimensional, CT-guided transischiorectal biopsy of the seminal vesicles in patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer resulted in upstaging of 10% of patients, according to a report at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting.

CHICAGO-A preliminary study of interstitial gene therapy for recurrent prostate cancer shows that transrectal ultrasound can be used effectively for planning delivery of the agent and assessing its initial effects.

American men and women are living longer than ever before. The gender disparity in life expectancy is narrowing, as the increase in longevity among men continues to outpace that among women. The projected life expectancy of a boy born in

BALTIMORE-Physicians should consider a biopsy to confirm a prostate cancer diagnosis when a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test reading is at least 4.0 ng/mL, the PSA level of a patient significantly increases from one test to the next, or a digital rectal examination is abnormal, according to a Best Practice Policy released by the American Urological Association (AUA).

Mood disorders may play a role in erectile dysfunction (ED) in prostate cancer patients, according to a report at the Pan American Congress of Psychosocial & Behavioral Oncology. Of 10 prostate cancer patients referred for erectile dysfunction and/or a suspected mood disorder, 7 were diagnosed as having depression and 3 were found to have preexisting relationship problems.

NEW YORK-Erectile dysfunction is a significant factor in decreasing the quality of life (QOL) of prostate cancer patients, according to a report at the Pan American Congress of Psychosocial & Behavioral Oncology.

SAN ANTONIO—A new study has shown that prostate cancer patients treated with 3D conformal radiation therapy may not differ from the normal population in bladder quality-of-life issues. “The bladder findings were very interesting,” said Alexandra Hanlon, PhD. “We’ve never had a baseline before for urinary incontinence; that is, we haven’t known the incidence in the normal population. We showed in this study that urinary incontinence is no more common in prostate cancer patients who have had 3D conformal radiation therapy than in the normal population.”

A substance extracted from licorice root, Licochalcone-A, has been shown to have antitumor activity in acute leukemia, breast, and prostate cancer cell lines by lowering the amount of bcl-2, a drug-resistant protein. Excess amounts of this

Immediate antiandrogen therapy after radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy improves survival and reduces the risk of recurrence in patients with node-positive prostate cancer, according to a study published in the December 9, 1999,

Many men with cancer develop erectile dysfunction during treatment of their malignancy. Erectile dysfunction in these patients often has multiple causes, both physiologic and psychological. Various treatment options, including

SAN ANTONIO-In a retrospective study of prostate cancer patients with a rising PSA after external beam radiation therapy, pretreatment factors appeared to have little independent influence on the development of metastatic disease. However, two post-treatment factors, PSA doubling time and time to onset of a rising PSA, were found to be major determinants of metastatic relapse, Lewis G. Smith III, MD, reported at the 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).

WASHINGTON-Medicare now provides coverage for prostate cancer screening. As of Jan. 1, all men, age 50 and older with Medicare benefits, are eligible for one digital rectal exam and one prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test each year. Congress directed the Health Care Financing Administration to cover prostate cancer screening for beneficiaries, beginning this year, in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of noncutaneous cancer in men in the United States. Despite its prevalence, the natural history of this disease is remarkably heterogeneous. In many patients, the cancer

Researchers announced recently that they have developed a new system to deliver the p53 tumor suppressor gene directly into the tumor through the bloodstream. The system, when used in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, may significantly improve treatment outcomes for prostate cancer patients. The findings were presented at the International Conference on Molecular Cancer Therapeutics sponsored by the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

ROCHESTER, NY-Starting anti-androgen therapy immediately after radical prostatectomy, rather than delaying such treatment until disease progression, improves outcomes in prostate cancer patients found to be node positive after radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenopathy, according to results of an ECOG trial.

SAN ANTONIO-Increasing the radiation dose from 70 Gy to 78 Gy favorably affects outcome in some patients with locally confined prostate cancer, according to preliminary results of a randomized dose escalation study reported at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).

Testing further for a form of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) can help urologists find, stage, and classify prostate cancer in men whose PSA tests are ambiguous, according to a multicenter study that included The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The additional test, which is routinely available for all men taking the PSA test, can also help patients and their doctors determine the best course of treatment. The test measures free PSA, the form of PSA not bound to proteins in the blood. According to the study, the higher the percentage of free PSA compared to the bound form, the smaller the tumor is likely to be, the less chance there is that it has spread from the prostate, and the less likely it is that the disease is the most aggressive form.

SAN ANTONIO -The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) has announced the start of the first major phase III trial to compare the chemotherapy combination of docetaxel (Taxotere) and estramustine phosphate (Emcyt) with the commonly used combination of mitoxantrone (Novantrone) and prednisone for the treatment of advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) announced the beginning of the first major phase III clinical trial comparing the combination of docetaxel (Taxotere) and estramustine (Emcyt) to the commonly used combination of mitoxantrone (Novantrone) and prednisone in the treatment of advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Patient enrollment is currently underway, with approximately 660 men being recruited. This trial is being conducted by SWOG and is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in collaboration with the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) and North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG).

VIENNA, Austria-Proof that starting adjuvant goserelin (Zoladex) treatment simultaneously with radiotherapy improves local control and survival in men with locally advanced prostate cancer emerged 2 years ago from a study conducted jointly by the Radiotherapy and Genitourinary groups of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).