Prostate Cancer News - 2015-09-01

Prostate Cancer News - 2015-09-01

Published on Aug 27, 2014

Now available on iTunes!https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sup...
and CD Baby!! 50% of proceeds go to Zero Cancer! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jimmycharles5
This song was written to help save and inspire so many that are going through this horrible Disease of all types by stressing the importance of regular checkups and catching the disease early on. So many of us think that we are invincible and Cancer only happen to others but the idea of "No Ones Superman" is that we all need to be aware and be checked regularly! Also, If diagnosed It is important that the patient does not suffer alone knows it is ok to be vocal and ask for help. So many Cancer patients, especially Men with Prostate Cancer suffer in silence! We flew Cancer Survivor Phil Shulka in to music row to help us write the song. Phil mentors Cancer patients using his own experiences to help them through. He sat down and just talked for an hour about everything he has been through. Goose and I were taking notes and listening hard and we came out with something truly magical! I couldn't be prouder of our work and excited to make an impact and fight back to Prostate Cancer and all Cancer!! The idea of "You Ain't Superman" is to wake people up to importance of getting checked! . We want them and everyone to know that Yes you are Strong but No One is Superman and you don't have to fight this Battle on your own and you do need to get checked even if you feel Healthy as an OX! God Bless all of you touched by this disease we I hope this song will save lives and provide healing to those who have lost! God Bless!

General Case Management

Prostate cancer: manhood, empathy and recovery

I remember sitting down one day and starting to cry. I still had the catheter inside me following the removal of my prostate gland. I had been told that this operation can be quite depressing. I think it goes back to how it affects reproduction. Although I had got to the stage where I didn’t have kids, it was still an emotional journey being told I couldn’t have them. I’m still dealing with that. I don’t think that emotional impact is really recognised. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer three years ago at the age of 49. Initially, I thought that there might have been some weakness in my bladder, as happens when you get older. The diagnosis came as a result of my doctor monitoring my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels and carrying out a test. My father had prostate cancer, so that was a factor. He got it in his 80s and had chemotherapy. He lived for about four years after the treatment.

Men's Health - Changing male attitudes to health to improve prognosis and outcomes — BioPortfolio.com

 The sensitive nature of male-specific cancers mean many men tend to ignore symptoms, failing to self-examine and only presenting to physicians at a late stage. Prostate cancer is the most common male-specific cancer, with testicular and penile cancer being relatively uncommon. Prostate cancer has experienced advances in treatment in recent years, although unmet needs still exist with potential solutions being studied. Indeed, if diagnosed and treated in its early stages, prostate cancer has a very good prognosis, with 100% of patients living beyond five years. However, if the cancer has spread it becomes more difficult treat and there remains a need for effective therapies for metastatic prostate cancer and castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Other male cancers tend be relatively rare, which makes them less of a priority for research and development. Indeed, compared with many female cancers, male cancers receive less attention and lower levels of funding, being seen as the poor relation.

News digest – another not-so-simple ‘blood test’, 3D virtual tumour, reprogrammed cells and… purple potatoes? - Cancer Research UK - Science blog

Free Consultation for Patients Newly Diagnosed for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month — BioPortfolio.com

Visit ProstateCancer911.com or call 212.365.5000 to set up your free phone consultation to talk with Dr. Samadi about the right prostate cancer treatment for you. 

What men need to know about the prostate and the PSA test - Chicago Tribune

• American Urological Association: 
• Don't test under age 55 if at average risk. 
• It's an individual choice between 40 and 54 if at higher  risk (meaning being African-American or having had a family member with  prostate cancer). 
• Between 55 and 69, have a discussion with a physician about risk factors, with the decision based on patient's values and preferences. 
• No screening if life expectancy is less than 10 to 15 years.
• American Cancer Society: 
• Start considering risks and benefits at age 50 if expected to live at least 10 more years; 
• at age 45 if at high risk (African-American or father, brother or son had prostate cancer before age 65). 
• At 40 if at very high risk (more than one close relative with prostate cancer at early age.)
• Mayo
  Clinic: 
• Annual PSA and DRE between 50 and 75; 
• between 45 and 75 for African-Americans and those with family history of prostate cancer. 
• All should have life expectancy of at least 10 years.
• U.S. Preventive
  Services Task Force: 
• No screening, regardless of age. "… There is moderate certainty that benefits of PSA screening for prostate cancer do not outweigh the harms."

Choices you Make

3 days a week better for strength, 2 days better for mental component

Resistance training (RT) improves muscular strength, physical functioning and quality of life in prostate cancer survivors, but the optimal frequency of RT is unknown. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of 3 versus 2 days per week of RT in prostate cancer survivors diagnosed within the past 2 years.
A trend (P<0 .10="" and="" class="mb" span="">/
or potentially meaningful effects (standardized effect size d 0.20) were found favoring 3 days per week over 2 days per week for the primary outcome of lower body strength (mean difference=27.8 kg; 95% confidence interval=−0.9 to 56.5; P=0.057; d=0.72) and for the secondary outcomes of 30-s chair stand (d=0.29; P=0.31), sit and reach (d=0.24; P=0.33), 6 -min walk (d=0.21; P=0.42) and the physical component summary (d=0.21; P=0.41).  Conversely, a trend and/or potentially meaningful effects were found favoring 2 days per week over 3 days per week for the mental component summary (d=−0.38; P=0.10), mental health (d=−0.44; P=0.11), vitality (d=−0.31; P=0.28), role-emotional (d=−0.23; P=0.43), anxiety (d=0.32; P=0.29), happiness (d=−0.31; P=0.36) and perceived stress (d=0.23; P=0.39).

Prostate cancer: prevent it | abc30.com

Top Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer

Pomegranate Juice for Prostate Cancer Prevention? Study Says…

although it certainly tastes good and some preliminary studies have suggested a role for pomegranate juice on the progression of prostate cancer, this study suggests that there isn't much of a benefit.

Healthy Table: Lycopene may help keep cancer at bay

Eating a healthy diet that includes tomato products is one step men can take to reduce prostate cancer, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. That’s good news, since prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among American men.
One disease-fighting agent in tomato products that has received a lot of attention is a phytochemical (beneficial compound in plants) called lycopene. It acts as an antioxidant, protecting against cancer by preventing cell damage in the body. Lycopene is the pigment that gives tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon, guavas and papayas their red color.

Failure to Control Early Prostate Cancer Risky - Updated News 

Consumer Reports: With anti-aging treatment claims, promises and science often collide - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Personal-finance

·         The promise: Revive your sex life Advertisements claim that testosterone therapy might ease the lethargy and restore the lost libido that can accompany low levels of the hormone in men. Combating a condition that the ads refer to as “low T,” it is suggested, will boost your sex drive and help you reclaim energy.

·         The potions: Prescription testosterone treatments are FDA-approved, but only for men with hypogonadism, a failure to produce enough testosterone due to disorders of the testicles, pituitary gland or brain. Still, the therapy can be prescribed off-label.

·         The science: Testosterone therapy can increase risks for heart attacks, strokes and blood clots. Research also suggests the treatment might encourage the growth of existing prostate cancer, boost the likelihood of sleep apnea and cause the enlargement of the prostate, the growth of breast tissue, swollen feet and a lower sperm count. If you have low energy or libido, see a doctor. The culprit actually might be stress, medications, depression, diabetes, obesity or too little sleep or exercise.

Screening and Diagnosis

Cancer screenings all men should consider - Calaveras Enterprise: Health

Free prostate cancer screenings for fans at Sept. 3 Padres game | LGBT Weekly

SAN DIEGO – Scripps Health will collaborate with Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure (ERFFTC) to provide free prostate cancer screenings to fans at the San Diego Padres game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park Sept. 3.
The screenings will be open to all male ticket holders at the game who are 50 or older (or 40 and older with a family history of prostate cancer). Screenings will be administered from first pitch (7:10 p.m.) until the seventh inning at the Scripps Mobile Medical Unit, which will be located in the Park at the Park, beyond the right-field fence.
A team of Scripps phlebotomists will administer prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests, while Scripps physicians will administer digital rectal exams from the privacy of the Mobile Medical Unit.
Participants will receive test results via confidential mail. Educational materials about prostate cancer will also be available.
“PSA screenings save lives,” said Carl Rossi, M.D., a radition oncologist and medical director of the Scripps Proton Therapy Center. “The cure rate for prostate cancer has increased significantly since
widespread use of PSA testing began in the early 1990s. When diagnosed early, at the local or  regional stages, national survival rates are nearly 100 percent.”

JAMA Network | JAMA | Prostate Cancer Screening

Major recommendations The USPSTF recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer due  to moderate or high certainty that the test has no net benefit or the  harms outweigh the benefits (grade D). The AUA recommends shared  decision making for men aged 55 to 69 years; for men electing to be  screened, an interval of 2 years or more may be preferable to annual  screening. The AUA recommends against PSA screening in men younger than  40 years, against routine screening between ages 40 and 54 years for men at average risk, and against routine screening in men older than 70  years or any man with less than a 10- to 15-year life expectancy.

Biopsies, Genomics and Pathology

Biomarkers May Predict Aggressive Prostate Cancer in Black Men - Renal and Urology News

Investigators led by Kosj Yamoah, MD, of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, examined mRNA expression of 20 biomarkers associated with prostate cancer initiation and progression by ethnicity. The researchers matched 154 African American to 243 European American patients from 4 institutions based on the Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment postsurgical scores (CAPRA-S) of their tumors.
According to results published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 6 biomarkers showed significant differential expression in black men: ERG, AMACR, SPINK1, NKX3-1, GOLM1, and androgen receptor. Risk of stage 3 PCa in African American patients was predicted by dysregulation of specific biomarkers (AMACR, ERG, FOXP1, and GSTP1) as well as by tumor suppressor mutations in NKX3-1 and RB1 that caused loss of function. In addition, dysregulation of GOLM1, SRD5A2, and MKi67 predicted 3-year biochemical recurrence and metastasis at 5 years. The researchers observed that more African American than European American patients (51 vs. 35%) had triple-negative PCa (i.e., absence or low levels of ERG, ETS, and SPINK1).

Prostate cancer: A simplified prostate cancer grading system : Nature Reviews Urology : Nature Publishing Group

Evolving over time, the Gleason scoring system has remained a crucial tool for prognosis and treatment decision making in prostate cancer. A recent study proposes a modification to the current Gleason system that should more accurately risk stratify patients and enable clinicians to make more appropriate treatment decisions.

Genomic Health Prostate Cancer Test Wins Medicare Coverage - August 18, 2015 - Zacks.com

Good news for prostate cancer patients in the U.S. Genomic Health, Inc. (GHDX - Analyst Report) recently received the final local coverage determination (LCD) for its Oncotype DX prostate cancer test, which is the only test specifically developed and validated for low-risk male candidates, for active surveillance.

New Genetic Test Oncotype DX Now Offered at Dr. Samadi's Prostate Cancer Center — BioPortfolio.com

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Revolutionary genetic test, Oncotype DX from Genomic Health, is now offered at Dr. Samadi's Prostate Cancer Center in New York City.
For men with an elevated PSA, high-risk for prostate cancer or who've had a previous biopsy, Oncotype DX may be the next step in assessing the potential growth rate of the tumor or how aggressive the cancer currently is. This directly leads to which treatment option is right for the patient. This genetic test gives us the ability to treat each patient individually," said Dr. Samadi.

Scientists Discover Link to Treatment for Prostate Cancer - Aug 17 2015 07:42 AM - University of York - Labmate Online

Researchers in The YCR Cancer Research Unit in the Department of Biology at York believe they have identified a direct link between how some tiny regulatory molecules in cells - known as micro-RNAs - can make prostate cancers resistant to radiotherapy. It is hoped that this new development could pave the way for more effective treatments - allowing a lower dose of radiotherapy to be used while prolonging the lives of thousands of men.
Professor Norman Maitland, of The YCR Cancer Research Unit, said of the estimated 42,000 men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK, about a third will get radiotherapy, and of those, about a third will fail on radiotherapy. “Doctors don’t know which patients are going to relapse - and the reason they relapse is probably because the radiotherapy is not focused on the stem cell, it is focused on the whole tumor.

Access : Rectal swab testing before prostate biopsy: experience in a VA Medical Center urology practice : Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases

Infectious complications following transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy (TRUSBx) have been increasing. Pre-biopsy prophylaxis with fluoroquinolone (FQL) antibiotics is a recommended and accepted practice. Increasing emergence of FQL-resistant bacteria is believed to be related to the increase in infectious complications. We sought to determine the effect of targeted antibiotic prophylaxis (TAP) before TRUSBx on infectious complications in our practice.
The use of TAP based on rectal swab testing significantly lowered our infectious complication rate for TRUSBx. TAP is now adopted as standard practice before TRUSBx in our center. The younger age and higher chance of prostate cancer on biopsy in the rectal swab group, we believe, is due to implementation of recent guidelines directing urologists be more selective in recommending prostate biopsy to older men.

Predicting High-Grade Prostate Cancer With Kallikrein Markers

The four kallikreins enhanced prostate cancer detection compared with PSA and age alone. Area under the curve (AUC) for the four kallikreins was 0.719 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.704 to 0.734) vs 0.634 (95% CI = 0.617 to 0.651, P < .001) for PSA and age alone for any-grade cancer, and 0.820 (95% CI = 0.802 to 0.838) vs 0.738 (95% CI = 0.716 to 0.761) for high-grade cancer. Using a 6% risk of high-grade cancer as an illustrative cutoff, for 1000 biopsied men with PSA levels of 3.0ng/mL or higher, the model would reduce the need for biopsy in 428 men, detect 119 high-grade cancers, and delay diagnosis of 14 of 133 high-grade cancers. Models exhibited excellent discrimination on independent validation among men with only serum samples available for analysis.

Increasing our ability to predict who really needs to be biopsied | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

For purposes of future clinical applicability, the “New” Prostate Cancer InfoLink would hope to be able to see data from this and future studies broken down according to the five new prostate pathology grades recently described by Epstein et al. (see this report). These new prostate pathology grades are scheduled to replace Gleason grades over the next few years.
The combination of being able to get much better at determining which patients really need to be biopsied, along with the ability to determine which patients really are good candidates for active surveillance post-biopsy, is starting to shift us away relatively rapidly from the over-treatment of low-risk prostate cancer that was commonplace in the 1990s and early 2000s. This will also help to leave many men with low-risk prostate cancer with a far higher quality of life for a much longer time period.

Tests

Neutrophil Count May Be Associated with Survival in Localized Prostate Cancer - Cancer Therapy Advisor

Neutrophil count appears to be an independent prognostic factor for overall mortality in patients with localized prostate cancer, a new study published in the journal BMC Cancer has shown.For the study, researchers from Centre Hospitalier de l'Université deMontréal in Montreal, Canada, sought to investigate the impact of systemic inflammation markers like leukocyte count and metabolic comorbidities on overall survival in patients with localized prostate cancer who have undergone radiotherapy.
 Association  of neutrophil count with overall survival in localized prostate cancer. |
2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium | Abstracts | Meeting Library
Systemic inflammation has been linked to worse outcome in metastatic prostate cancer. This study analyzes the influence of complete blood count (CBC) on outcome after curative radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.  In this testing cohort, neutrophil count was an independent risk factor for increased overall mortality in patients with localized prostate cancer.

PSA test remains appropriate prostate cancer screening for many | www.palmbeachpost.com

Legal risk for physicians and use/non-use of PSA testing | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Dr. Gerald Chodak has raised an interesting reason why physicians may want to think hard about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendation on the value of PSA testing for risk of prostate cancer.
In one of his regular commentaries on the Medscape web site last Friday (under the heading “PSA screening: are we ‘falling backwards’?“), Dr. Chodak expresses a concern shared by many in the prostate cancer advocacy community (and by many urologists too) that the USPSTF recommendation may lead — over the next decade — to an increase in the numbers of men in America who get diagnosed with non-localized and metastatic forms of prostate cancer, compared to the levels seen in about 2012. This is a justifiable concern.

Imaging

The evolution of nuclear imaging in the management of prostate cancer | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

In the management of prostate cancer the oldest and still the most common form of nuclear imaging in use today is radionuclide bone scanning. This is based on  injection of a radioactive technetium-99m (^99mTc) tracer chemical that accumulates in areas of bone where prostate cancer is present. Such scans are not perfect. They have a high sensitivity but low specificity for metastatic prostate cancer, so there is always a danger that areas of bone that “light up” on bone scans of this type are not actually metastatic prostate cancer at all. However, on the whole, this type of bone scan has had and probably will continue to have a long and very useful life as the primary tool for identification of risk for bone metastasis in prostate cancer patients with an elevated PSA level (> 20 ng/ml), a Gleason score of 4 + 3 = 7 or higher, and/or symptoms — such as low back pain — that might suggest the presence of prostate cancer.

In more recent years there have been a whole series of attempts to introduce new types of nuclear scanning technology that might be helpful in identifying the presence of smaller amounts of prostate cancer earlier and in other tissues. These techniques have involved new radioactive compounds and different scanning techniques such as CT scans and PET scans as opposed to traditional x-rays. Examples of some of the types of radioactive compound involved include things like [¹¹C]choline, [¹⁸F]fluorocholine, [¹¹C]acetate, [¹⁸F]fluoroacetate, [¹¹C]methionine, and [¹⁸F]fluoride. And we are seeing some progress.

Image Fusion Technology Combines MRI and Ultrasound Images to Treat Prostate Cancer | Virtual-Strategy Magazine

Initial prostate cancer diagnosis and disease staging -- the role of choline-PET-CT : Nature Reviews Urology : Nature Publishing Group

An early and correct diagnosis together with accurate staging of prostate cancer is necessary in order to plan the most appropriate treatment strategy. Morphological imaging modalities such as transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), CT, and MRI can have some limitations regarding their accuracy for primary diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer; for instance, they have limited specificity in differentiating cancer from benign prostatic conditions and, by using size as the only criterion to characterize lymph node metastases, they might not be accurate enough for tumour characterization. In this scenario, PET–CT with ¹¹C-labelled or ¹⁸F-labelled choline derivatives provides morphological and functional characterization and could overcome the limitations of the conventional imaging techniques. PET–CT is one of the most investigated molecular imaging modalities for prostate cancer diagnosis and staging. Currently, the main investigations on the role of PET–CT in the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer have been performed on a retrospective basis and this type of analysis might be one of the main reasons why different results regarding its diagnostic accuracy have been reported.

Access : Improved detection of anterior fibromuscular stroma and transition zone prostate cancer using biparametric and multiparametric MRI with MRI-targeted biopsy and MRI-US fusion guidance : Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases

MRI-targeted biopsies detected significantly more anteriorly located sPC compared with SBs in the repeat-biopsy setting. The more cost-efficient bpMRI was statistically not inferior to mpMRI in sPC detection in TZ/AFMS.

PET imaging detects fast-growing prostate cancer - Medical News Today

"We were able to demonstrate in our research that PSMA PET imaging was more specific than MR imaging for detection of clinically significant high-grade prostate cancer lesions, and importantly was able to distinguish benign prostate lesions from primary prostate cancer, currently a difficult diagnostic imaging task," stated Steven P. Rowe, MD, PhD, resident at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Md. "Additionally, this work demonstrated a direct correlation between PSMA PET radiotracer activity in prostate cancer and prostate adenocarcinoma aggressiveness (Gleason score)."

PET imaging detects fast-growing prostate cancer

A molecular imaging biomarker is able to detect fast-growing primary prostate cancer and distinguish it from benign prostate lesions, addressing an unmet clinical need. The new research, published in the July 2015 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, is significant for patients with suspected prostate cancer that has not been confirmed by standard biopsy.
"We were able to demonstrate in our research that PSMA PET imaging was more specific than MR imaging for detection of clinically significant high-grade prostate cancer lesions, and importantly was able to distinguish benign prostate lesions from primary prostate cancer, currently a difficult diagnostic imaging task," stated Steven P. Rowe, MD, PhD, resident at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Md. "Additionally, this work demonstrated a direct correlation between PSMA PET radiotracer activity in prostate cancer and prostate adenocarcinoma aggressiveness (Gleason score)."

Treatment

Prostate cancer treatment is trending toward risk-specific therapies - ONA

After decades of overtreatment for low-risk prostate cancer and inadequate management of its more aggressive forms, patients are now more likely to receive medical care matched to level of risk, according to a study published in JAMA (2015; doi:10.1001/jama.2015.6036).
In the first study to document updated treatment trends, researchers found that from 2010 to 2013, 40% of men with low-risk prostate cancer opted for active surveillance, in which the disease is monitored closely with blood tests, imaging studies, and biopsies. Treatment is deferred unless these tests show evidence of progression.
In contrast, in the years from 1990 through 2009, less than 10% overall of patients with low-risk prostate cancer pursued active surveillance. Rates for radiation therapy in this low-risk group have also slipped since 1995, the authors noted in the study.
Meanwhile, men with higher-risk tumors are more likely to undergo surgical removal of the prostate and/or radiation, localized treatments that are more effective than androgen-deprivation therapy alone, in which drugs are taken to block the hormones that stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. In men with intermediate-risk disease, 9.7% were treated with this therapy in 1990 to 1994 versus 3.8% in 2010 to 2013. Among those with high-risk disease, 30% and 24% of patients, respectively, underwent this treatment in these same periods.

Advances in prostate cancer treatment - The Bristol Press: Bristol Press

Active Surveillance

Prostate Cancer Doctors Discuss Findings Showing Improvement in Overall Treatment — BioPortfolio.com

According to a studypublished in JAMA Internal Medicine, there have been vast improvements in overall prostate cancer treatment due to a growing trend in “watchfulwaiting.” The study found that between 1990 and 2009, at least 7% of low-risk patients did not undergo treatment, such as radiation or surgery. However, by 2010 through 2013, the number increased to at least40% of low-risk patients who remained untreated but carefully monitored. Dr. Kia Michel and the urologists at Comprehensive Urology provide insight into these improvements and other advancements in the field of prostate cancer treatment.

New data from Johns Hopkins on outcomes after active surveillance | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

A new article from the group at Johns Hopkins has now confirmed that rates of prostate cancer-specific mortality and progression to metastatic disease are extremely low at 15 years of follow-up in their 18-year-long active surveillance cohort. The new paper by Tosoian et al., just published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (and supported by data in a media release from Johns Hopkins that are reported on the ScienceDaily web site)makes an number of key points that correlate extremely closely with thedata previously published by Klotz and his colleagues in Canada — especially when one bears in mind that the Johns Hopkins protocol has almost certainly been the most restrictive current protocol accepting patients for inclusion on active surveillance.

Surgery

Radiation

Hormone

Chemo

Cuban prostate cancer vaccine to enter 3rd phase of trial - Xinhua | English.news.cn

HAVANA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Cuban vaccine against advanced prostate cancer will soon enter the third stage of its trial process, where it will be tested on 300 patients, specialists announced on Tuesday in Havana.
In this stage, researchers at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), where the vaccine Heberprovac was developed, will compare its performance with that of Zoladex, a well-known therapy used internationally to treat various types of neoplasms.
Researchers from CIBG believe that Heberprovac is already superior to Zoladex in its administration format, needing only seven shots. The first four doses are given every 15 days and the rest are spread out over five months.

Roswell expands collaboration with Cuba | wivb.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Roswell Park Cancer Institute has announced that select patients in Buffalo will take part in clinical trials for two more Cuban-developed vaccines.
Dr. Kelvin Lee, Chairman of Immunology at Roswell, said they will target more than just lung cancer.
In April, during Governor Andrew Cuomo’s trade mission to Cuba, Roswell signed an agreement with Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology to develop a unique lung cancer vaccine with a clinical trial in the United States.
Friday, Dr. Lee said the two additional vaccines will have broader targets.
“They, in fact, target a bunch of different cancers, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, as well as some of the blood cancers,” he said.

New Techniques

UMMC: Patented Research Yields Possible New Cancer Therapy | HottyToddy.com

Large amounts of the nuclear proteins, geminin and c-Abl, cause tumor growth. The drug imatinib mesylate can stop the cancer growth in some patients by putting an end to geminin overexpression. Dr. ElShamy's patent also covers therapies for liver, ovarian, colon, brain, lung, and prostate cancer.

• A Mississippi doctor's quest to cure cancer now has a patent
• Research yields possible new cancer therapy - University of Mississippi Medical Center
• Wael M. ElShamy, Program Director - University of Mississippi Medical Center
• Geminin overexpression promotes imatinib sensitive breast cancer: a novel treatment approach for aggressive breast cancers, including a subset of t... - PubMed - NCBI

Side Effects

Spousal Relationship Impacted by Prostatectomy - Renal and Urology News

Results showed that both patients and spouses experienced reduced mental and physical health at 1 month after surgery, but health was mostly improved at 6 and 12 months.
Researchers found that patient's physical health correlated with patient's relationship satisfaction, and both patient's and spouse's mental health were associated with their own relationship satisfaction.
The study demonstrated that patient's and spouse's physical health negatively impacted each other's relationship satisfaction at 1 month post-prostatectomy, while spouse's mental health correlated with patient's relationship satisfaction during the year after cancer treatment.

Radiotherapy-Associated Anemia: The Scope of the Problem

Many cancer patients present with anemia prior to radiotherapy, and even more experience anemia or a worsening of anemia at some point during treatment. However, the problem of anemia is often ignored because patients may experience only functional anemia, defined as a hemoglobin level less than 12 g/dl.

Anemia Treatment and the Radiation Oncologist: Optimizing Patient Outcomes | Cancer Network

Anemia is a frequent complication of cancer and its associated treatment. Although its occurrence is well documented in the chemotherapy setting, the prevalence and nature of anemia in the radiation oncology setting have been inadequately characterized. Preliminary findings from an ongoing retrospective study at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York indicate that mild-to-moderate anemia (ie, hemoglobin levels of 10 to 12 g/dL) is common at presentation for radiation therapy and increases in prevalence and severity during the course of radiation treatment. The symptoms of mild-to-moderate anemia, particularly fatigue, can substantially impair the quality of life of cancer patients. Furthermore, an extensive body of literature has documented an association between low hemoglobin levels and poor locoregional tumor control and survival following curative-intent radiation therapy. Greater efforts by radiation oncologists to document and treat anemia in patients undergoing radiation therapy may provide an opportunity to improve postradiation outcomes and well-being. [ONCOLOGY 15:1486-1496, 2001] - See more at: http://www.cancernetwork.com/review-article/anemia-treatment-and-radiation-oncologist-optimizing-patient-outcomes-1/page/0/1#sthash.M6H4JJtL.dpuf

Suicide and accidental deaths among men newly diagnosed with localized prostate cancer | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Dalela et al. show that:

• Over the course of the study’s 22-year time frame
• 1,165/524,965 men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer (0.22 percent) committed suicide.
• 2,232/956,576 men diagnosed with other solid tumors (0.23 percent) committed suicide.
• 3,199/524,965 men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer (0.61 percent) died of accidental death.
• 4,501/956,576 men diagnosed with other solid tumors (0.47 percent) died of accidental death.
• Men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer
• Were at increased risk of suicide and accidental deaths compared to men diagnosed with other solid tumors
• Within the first year of diagnosis
• When definitive treatment was recommended but not received
• Were at lower overall risk of suicide and accidental deaths compared to men diagnosed with other solid tumors.

Advanced/Recurrence

ODM-201: a new-generation androgen receptor inhibitor in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

The realization that CRPC remains driven by androgen receptor (AR) signaling has formed the basis for a new generation of agents targeting the AR axis.   Two of these agents, abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide, have been shown to prolong overall survival in patients with CRPC Several other AR inhibitors are currently in development for the treatment of CRPC.   The present article reviews ODM-201, a new-generation AR inhibitor with a unique molecular structure, in the treatment of CRPC The design of an ongoing Phase III trial (ARAMIS) of ODM-201 in men with non-metastatic CRPC is also discussed, at a disease stage for which there is currently no approved treatment.  

The role of clusterin in prostate cancer: treatment resistance and potential as a therapeutic target.

The improved understanding of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer progression mechanisms has broadened the therapeutic window by unveiling multiple molecular targets.  Several approaches are being investigated to overcome resistance in prostate cancer, including the use of novel taxanes and tubulin inhibitors, and the inhibition of cell survival pathways.  This review focuses on clusterin, a small heat-shock-like protein that is overexpressed in many types of solid tumors; we summarize the preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the rationale for targeting clusterin as a means to resensitize prostate tumors to radiation and chemotherapy agents.  

Polio Virus Immunotherapy Tested in Prostate Cancer Patients
In PVSRIPO therapy, the polio virus has been modified so it does not spread the disease, but specifically targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed. It also boosts the effectiveness of the body’s own immune defenses to destroy cancer cells.