Your AI-Trained Oncology Knowledge Connection!
ANN ARBOR, Michigan--The typical candidate for radical prostatectomy does at least as well with three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiation therapy for early-stage prostate cancer, results of a University of Michigan study suggest. Findings in 172 consecutively treated patients showed a 95% actuarial survival 8 years after radiation therapy and an 85% rate of freedom from biochemical failure.
LOS ANGELES--Combined therapy with suramin and hydrocortisone significantly improved palliation over placebo plus hydrocortisone in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The palliative improvement emerged within 6 weeks, and the difference between the regimens increased to the end of therapy, Eric Small, MD, reported at the ASCO integrated symposium on prostate cancer.
LOS ANGELES--Preliminary results with a gene-therapy approach to recurrent prostate cancer suggest antitumor activity in at least some patients. Three of 18 patients have had decreases in PSA levels of more than 50%. The effects have persisted for 45 to 290 days, including one patient who became biopsy negative for a brief period of time.
QUEBEC CITY--For the first time, a randomized clinical trial of screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been performed and shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer mortality.
NEW ORLEANS-A technique for rallying a prostate cancer patient’s antitumor response helps some patients without harming quality of life, Michael L. Salgaller, PhD, head of the immunothera-peutics division at Northwest Biother-apeutics, Seattle, reported at the 89th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Recent advances in research focused on identifying genetic and other markers that can predict cancer risk were reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Included in the presentations were reports of
A gene discovered by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center may provide a target on prostate cancer cells for antibodies to attack, allowing the antibodies to destroy those cells while ignoring all others.
ASCO--A Canadian study is the first to show that prostate cancer screening, using a PSA of 3.0 ng/mL as the upper limit of normal, could significantly decrease deaths from the disease. Fernand Labrie, MD, in his presentation at the ASCO plenary session, said that 27,000 lives a year could be saved in the United States alone if PSA testing were performed on all men age 50 and older.
NEW ORLEANS--High concentrations of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in the circulation identify the men most at risk of prostate cancer as well as the women at highest risk of premenopausal breast cancer, according to results presented at the 89th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
BOSTON--Transrectal ultrasound is not a reliable method for detecting residual or recurrent tumor in prostate cancer patients after cryosurgical ablation, due to the altered appearance of the gland on ultrasound after freezing, Caryl Salomon, MD, said at the 42nd Annual American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) conference.
I was pleased to read the timely update on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) by Drs. Jürgen Pannek and Alan W. Partin in the September 1997 issue of oncology (pp 1273-1278) and the accompanying review by Dr. Steven J. Jacobsen (pp 1281-
BUFFALO, NY--Autoimmune prostatitis has been suggested as a new method for treating prostate cancer, and prostate-specific proteins are currently being sought to serve as targets for an autoimmune attack that could offer therapeutic benefits in prostate cancer.
The latest analysis of a large prevention trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Public Health Institute of Finland showed that long-term use of a moderate-dose vitamin E supplement substantially reduced prostate cancer incidence and deaths in male smokers. The report was published in the March 18, 1998, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and the lead author is Olli P. Heinonen, md, dsc, of the Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland.
HELSINKI, Finland--Supplemental vitamin E significantly decreased both the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in a large randomized trial of male smokers in Finland, said Olli P. Heinonen, MD, DSc, and his colleagues from the University of Helsinki, the National Cancer Institute, and Montefiore Medical Center, New York.
The traditional definition of “advanced” prostate cancer includes only patients with widespread osteoblastic or soft-tissue metastases (clinical or pathologic stage T any N any M1; or stage D2). Current evidence indicates that
The traditional definition of “advanced” prostate cancer includes only patients with widespread osteoblastic or soft-tissue metastases (clinical or pathologic stage T any N any M1; or stage D2). Current evidence indicates that
The traditional definition of “advanced” prostate cancer includes only patients with widespread osteoblastic or soft-tissue metastases (clinical or pathologic stage T any N any M1; or stage D2). Current evidence indicates that
BOSTON--Investigators at McGill University, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have identified insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1) as a possible high-risk factor for prostate cancer.
WASHINGTON--Recognizing the devastating burden of prostate cancer, particularly among black men, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has released a plan of action aimed at addressing issues in research, education, patient and family support, and public policy. ACS president-elect Charles J. McDonald, MD, said that the Society will convene a conference shortly of "all key African-American national organizations" to determine how to implement the plan.
ORLANDO-Researchers at the Seattle Prostate Institute, University of Washington, and Northwest Hospital have shown excellent progression-free survival in favorable prostate cancer patients with the use of transperitoneal ultrasound-guided brachytherapy as sole treatment. Peter Grimm, DO, presented eight-year follow-up data on more than 400 patients in a poster presentation at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has issued a “National Blueprint for Action,” describing a multifaceted set of proposals aimed at overcoming the disproportionate incidence of prostate cancer in African-American men.
CHICAGO-At California’s Loma Linda University, physicians have treated 1,800 patients with early-stage or locally advanced prostate cancer with proton beam radiation therapy using a synchrotron accelerator.
The review article by Forman and Velasco represents a concise, up-to-date summary of current knowledge on the use of therapeutic radiation in patients with a rising post-prostatectomy prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The conclusions reached by the authors are reasonable but conservative. In my opinion, a bit too conservative.
Drs. Forman and Velasco provide a timely and thorough review of the maturing concept of applying radiation therapy to the prostatic fossa after radical prostatectomy. The guidelines for therapy continue to evolve because of the increasing reliance on blood prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level for both detecting a recurrence of disease and evaluating response to radiotherapy.
I agree with Drs. Forman and Velasco that the optimal management of patients with an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level after prostatectomy remains to be determined. The broader issue, however, is optimizing the management of post-prostatectomy patients who are at risk for recurrence. Hence, the dilemma: Should we wait for a chemically apparent recurrence before instituting treatment? Or, should we, on the basis of available information, quantify the risk of recurrence and the possible side effects of therapy and determine whether or not adjuvant radiotherapy is warranted based on the risk/benefit ratio?
