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Prostate Cancer

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NEW YORK-A small trial of trastuzumab (Herceptin) alone and with paclitaxel (Taxol) found that the combination was active against prostate cancer, but trastuzumab alone was not. The results were presented at the ASCO meeting by Michael J. Morris, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

ATLANTA-For men with advanced or recurrent prostate cancer, 24 months of androgen deprivation accelerates bone loss, and these changes were significant at sites such as the forearm and hip, David M. Preston, MD (Maj., Medical Corps, U.S. Army), reported at the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA).

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.