Prostate Cancer

A multi-institutional study demonstrated that prostate cancer patients with aggressive tumors benefited from higher-than-standard doses of radiation. In the trial, 79% of 102 patients receiving radiation therapy for cancer confined to the prostate

TORONTO, Canada-A multicenter phase III trial involving more than 250 prostate cancer patients confirmed earlier trials demonstrating that abarelix, a GnRH antagonist, achieved more rapid reduction of testosterone to castrate levels than leuprolide acetate (Lupron) and bicalutamide (Casodex), but did not produce a testosterone surge and clinical flare.

ST. LOUIS-An automated technique for coregistering MRI or CT images with SPECT (single photo emission computed tomography) images has the potential to improve the accuracy of prostate cancer staging, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine 47th Annual Meeting.

Current techniques for permanent prostate brachytherapy are associated with excellent biochemical control in patients with localized prostate cancer. Data now available confirm 5- to 10-year results with this treatment

AstraZeneca has announced the launch of a new website that will help keep researchers and physicians up to date on

Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT) is more effective yet costs no more than conventional radiation therapy in the long-term treatment of prostate cancer, according to a study conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center in

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,