Thursday, April 30, 2020

Profiling prostate biology | Science

Profiling prostate biology | Science: Molecular profiling of heterogeneous cell populations at the single-cell level using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has provided refined cell type–specific gene expression signatures and allowed the discovery of rare cell types. Applying such an approach in the context of anatomy and pathology informs disease mechanisms. A requirement for androgen is a cardinal feature in the development and maintenance of normal prostate and for the maintenance of prostate adenocarcinoma ([ 1 ][1]). On page 497 of this issue, Karthaus et al. ([ 2 ][2]) provide an in-depth characterization of prostatic cellular heterogeneity and address mechanisms of androgen independence in regenerating mouse prostates. They identify an adaptive stemlike phenotype in a large population of secretory epithelial cells undergoing androgen-dependent regeneration, uncovering an unappreciated plasticity in these differentiated cells, which has implications for prostate cancer therapy.

Prostate epithelium consists of three primary cell types: luminal cells, an underlying layer of basal cells, and rare neuropeptide-secreting neuroendocrine cells. Luminal cells express the androgen receptor (AR) transcription facto

Telemedicine: Tips for your Appointment — Cancer ABCs

Telemedicine: Tips for your Appointment — Cancer ABCs: Have a virtual doctor's visit coming up? Follow these tips to make the most of it.

Axumin-based PET/CT scans and detection of recurrent prostate cancer | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Axumin-based PET/CT scans and detection of recurrent prostate cancer | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: A new report from a relatively small, single-institution study has provided additional information about the utility of [18F]fluciclovine (Axumin) PET/CT scans in the detection of recurrent prostat…

Major trial shows breast cancer drug can hit prostate cancer Achilles heel -- ScienceDaily

Major trial shows breast cancer drug can hit prostate cancer Achilles heel -- ScienceDaily: A drug already licensed for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers is more effective than targeted hormone therapy at keeping cancer in check in some men with advanced prostate cancer, a major clinical trial reports. Olaparib, a pill lacking the side effects of chemotherapy, can target an Achilles heel in prostate cancers with a weakness in their ability to repair damaged DNA.

'Bold' Prostate Cancer Trial Enrolls 'Very, Very Quickly'

'Bold' Prostate Cancer Trial Enrolls 'Very, Very Quickly': For men with early prostate cancer on active surveillance, can the immunotherapy sipuleucel-T (Provenge) reduce grade progression?

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

More negative data for checkpoint inhibition in treatment of mCRPC | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

More negative data for checkpoint inhibition in treatment of mCRPC | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: Alas … once again we hear that the combination of  androgen receptor blockade (with enzalutamide/Xtandi) + a checkpoint inhibitor (the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab/Tecentriq) has had no clini…

Breast cancer drug slows prostate cancer progression in major trial

Breast cancer drug slows prostate cancer progression in major trial: Scientists are reporting some promising findings from a large prostate cancer trial, where patients were administered a drug typically used to treat breast cancer. The drug proved more effective than standard hormone treatments at applying the brakes to the disease, with the scientists hopeful it…

It's a Bust: Adding Immunotherapy No Benefit in mCRPC

It's a Bust: Adding Immunotherapy No Benefit in mCRPC: The immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab was added to standard treatment with enzalutamide in men with metatastic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Olaparib for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer | NEJM

Olaparib for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer | NEJM: Original Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Olaparib for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Loss of a negative feedback loop between IRF8 and AR promotes prostate cancer growth and enzalutamide resistance | Cancer Research

Loss of a negative feedback loop between IRF8 and AR promotes prostate cancer growth and enzalutamide resistance | Cancer Research: In incurable castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), resistance to the novel androgen receptor (AR) antagonist enzalutamide (ENZ) is driven mainly by AR overexpression. Here we report that the expression of interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is increased in primary prostate cancer (PCa) but decreased in CRPC compared to normal prostate tissue. Decreased expression of IRF8 positively associated with CRPC progression and ENZ resistance. IRF8 interacted with AR and promoted its degradation via activation of the ubiquitin/proteasome systems. Epigenetic knockdown of IRF8 promoted AR-mediated PCa progression and ENZ resistance in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, IFNα increased expression of IRF8 and improved the efficacy of ENZ in CRPC by targeting the IRF8-AR axis. We also provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of IFNα with hormonotherapy in a clinical study. Collectively, this study identifies IRF8 both as a tumor suppressor in PCa pathogenesis and a potential alternative therapeutic option to overcome ENZ resistance.

Using 2 Prostate Biopsy Techniques Optimizes Cancer Diagnosis | Oncology | JAMA | JAMA Network

Using 2 Prostate Biopsy Techniques Optimizes Cancer Diagnosis | Oncology | JAMA | JAMA Network: Combining a traditional biopsy with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–targeted biopsy more accurately diagnoses clinically significant prostate cancer than either technique alone, according to a recent study by National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers.

New radiation therapies keep advanced prostate cancer in check - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health Publishing

New radiation therapies keep advanced prostate cancer in check - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health Publishing: Treatments for prostate cancer are always evolving, and now research is pointing to new ways of treating a cancer that has just begun to spread, or metastasize, after initial surgery or radiation. Doctors usually give hormonal therapies in these cases to block testosterone, which is a hormone that makes the cancer grow faster. But newer …

Monday, April 27, 2020

Olaparib in treatment of men with mCRPC and selected HRR gene mutations | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Olaparib in treatment of men with mCRPC and selected HRR gene mutations | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: According to a media release issued by AstraZeneca and Merck on Friday evening, olaparib (Lynparza) has shown “a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in … ove…

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Clinical Challenges: Nuclear Medicine and Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer | MedPage Today

Clinical Challenges: Nuclear Medicine and Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer | MedPage Today: With the advent of fluciclovine and PSMA, nuclear medicine has carved out a key role in the visualization of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer death rates predicted to fall this year by 9.5% on the 2015 figure, research shows | Daily Mail Online

Prostate cancer death rates predicted to fall this year by 9.5% on the 2015 figure, research shows | Daily Mail Online: Prostate death rates are expected to fall this year because of better diagnosis and treatment, research suggests. British death rates will be 9.5 per cent lower for 2020 than in 2015, according to a study.

Friday, April 24, 2020

[Targeted molecular therapy and immunotherapy for prostate cancer].

[Targeted molecular therapy and immunotherapy for prostate cancer].: For decades, the treatment of advanced prostate cancer was mainly based on the manipulation of the androgen receptor-controlled proliferation pathway. Chemotherapy only played an additional important role with the advent of taxanes.

Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer - Laurence Klotz and Peter Carroll

Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer - Laurence Klotz and Peter Carroll: localized prostate cancer and active surveillance, , Matthew Cooperberg, Laurence Klotz, Peter Carroll, evolution of management for low-risk prostate cancer, T1a prostate cancer, mpMRI and genomic testing.

Prostate Cancer Wishes From a Patient's Perspective Presentation - Robin Millman

Prostate Cancer Wishes From a Patient's Perspective Presentation - Robin Millman: prostate cancer patient's perspective, prostate cancer awareness, improved utilization of active surveillance, side effects of metastatic prostate cancer therapies,

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Alas … PPV not good for PI-RADS at all | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Alas … PPV not good for PI-RADS at all | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: For the past few years, some of us have been quietly concerned about the true value of MRI scans and the accuracy of PI-RADS scores in evaluation of a patient’s risk for the presence of clini…

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Focal therapy for localized prostate cancer: the “state of the art” | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Focal therapy for localized prostate cancer: the “state of the art” | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: In a report on the UroToday web site, John Fortin, a prostate cancer patient who chose to have focal therapy himself a while ago, has reported on information presented at the 12th International Sym…

Will the FDA approve an oral LHRH agonist for treatment of prostate cancer? | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Will the FDA approve an oral LHRH agonist for treatment of prostate cancer? | THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: According to a media release issued yesterday, Myovant Sciences (an Australian company, based in Brisbane) has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for approval of its oral LHRH agonist, relugoli…

Worth the cost? A closer look at the da Vinci robot’s impact on prostate cancer surgery

Worth the cost? A closer look at the da Vinci robot’s impact on prostate cancer surgery: The da Vinci robotic system has become the ubiquitous method for prostate removal, but its cost and long-term outcomes for patients are raising questions.

Monday, April 20, 2020

Surrogate endpoints for overall survival for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in the CHAARTED trial | Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases

Surrogate endpoints for overall survival for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in the CHAARTED trial | Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases: Metastasis-free survival has been shown to be a robust surrogate for overall survival (OS) in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer (PC). However, this surrogate only holds true for a select subset of patients, and leaves those trials analyzing metastatic disease at a disadvantage. We aimed to identify the best surrogate for predicting OS in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive PC. We analyzed data from the Chemohormonal Therapy versus Androgen Ablation Randomized Trial for Extensive Disease trial in which patients were randomly assigned to receive either androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or ADT plus docetaxel. PSA response, progression and development of castration-resistant PC (CRPC) within 6 and 12 months were investigated as potential OS surrogates, in accordance with the Prentice Criteria. The proportion the of treatment effect (PTE) was calculated for each surrogate and used to identify the best one. Data from 790 patients were considered: 393 (49.7%) men received ADT alone, while 397 (50.3%) received combination therapy. Four intermediate clinical endpoints met the criteria for surrogacy: progression within 6 months (HR: 5.70; 95%CI: 4.26, 7.64; p < 0.001) and 12 mon

Sunday, April 19, 2020

‘Smart toilet’ monitors for signs of disease | News Center | Stanford Medicine

‘Smart toilet’ monitors for signs of disease | News Center | Stanford Medicine: A disease-detecting “precision health” toilet can sense multiple signs of illness through automated urine and stool analysis, a new Stanford study reports.

Friday, April 17, 2020

Prostate Cancer Surveillance: Could I Be Done With Biopsies... Forever? | MedPage Today

Prostate Cancer Surveillance: Could I Be Done With Biopsies... Forever? | MedPage Today: The 'poster child' for active surveillance takes another step

New ‘Toolbox’ for Urological Cancer Detection | University of Turku

New ‘Toolbox’ for Urological Cancer Detection | University of Turku: Researchers from Ghent University, Belgium, together with researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, have developed a new method for biomarker discovery of urological cancers. The method enables timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Urological cancers include e.g. prostate, bladder and kidney cancers.

Reconsidering Prostate Cancer Mortality — The Future of PSA Screening | NEJM

Reconsidering Prostate Cancer Mortality — The Future of PSA Screening | NEJM: Medicine and Society from The New England Journal of Medicine — Reconsidering Prostate Cancer Mortality — The Future of PSA Screening

New 'toolbox' for urological cancer detection -- ScienceDaily

New 'toolbox' for urological cancer detection -- ScienceDaily: Researchers have developed a new method for biomarker discovery of urological cancers. The method enables timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Urological cancers include e.g. prostate, bladder and kidney cancers.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Judd W. Moul, MD, FACS, on Triaging Patients with Prostate Cancer | Cancer Network

Judd W. Moul, MD, FACS, on Triaging Patients with Prostate Cancer | Cancer Network: The prostate cancer expert discussed guidelines that he and his colleagues culminated for triaging patients with prostate cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reconsidering Prostate Cancer Mortality — The Future of PSA Screening | NEJM

Reconsidering Prostate Cancer Mortality — The Future of PSA Screening | NEJM: Medicine and Society
Reconsidering Prostate Cancer Mortality — The Future of PSA Screening
List of authors.

H. Gilbert Welch, M.D., M.P.H., and Peter C. Albertsen, M.D.

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23 References

From its peak in the early 1990s, U.S. mortality due to prostate cancer has decreased from 39 per 100,000 men to 19 per 100,000 men — essentially by half. Although everyone agrees that this reduction is good news, there is considerable disagreement about why it happened. The controversy has profound implications for the future of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening.
Figure 1. Prostate Cancer Mortality in the United States, 1950–2016.

A long-term perspective on trends in cancer-specific mortality among patients with three common causes of cancer-related deaths since 1950 is provided in Figure 1A. The substantial rise and fall in the largest component of cancer-related mortality, lung cancer mortality, reflects the rise and fall in rates of cigarette smoking decades earlier. In contrast, breast cancer mortality was remarkably stable until 1990 and then began to fall. Prostate cancer mortality was similarly stable until 1970 and als

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Integrative analysis of AR‐mediated transcriptional regulatory network reveals IRF1 as an inhibitor of prostate cancer progression - Cheng - - The Prostate - Wiley Online Library

Integrative analysis of AR‐mediated transcriptional regulatory network reveals IRF1 as an inhibitor of prostate cancer progression - Cheng - - The Prostate - Wiley Online Library: Background
Androgen receptor (AR) is crucial for prostate cancer (PCa) initiation and malignant progression. Only half of androgen‐responsive genes have been identified as having androgen‐responsive...

Costs and Complications after a Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Treated with Time-Efficient Modalities: an Analysis of National Medicare Data - ScienceDirect

Costs and Complications after a Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Treated with Time-Efficient Modalities: an Analysis of National Medicare Data - ScienceDirect: Recent trends in payer and patient preferences increasingly incentivize time-efficient (≤2 weeks treatment time) prostate cancer treatments.National M…

Clinical and genomic characterization of Low PSA Secretors: a unique subset of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer | Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases

Clinical and genomic characterization of Low PSA Secretors: a unique subset of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer | Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases: Metastatic disease burden out of proportion to serum PSA has been used as a marker of aggressive phenotype prostate cancer but is not well defined as a distinct subgroup. We sought to prospectively characterize the molecular features and clinical outcomes of Low PSA Secretors. Eligible metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients without prior small cell histology underwent metastatic tumor biopsy with molecular characterization. Low PSA secretion was defined as serum PSA < 2, 5, or 10 ng/mL plus >5 metastases with radiographic progression at study entry. Clinical and molecular features were compared between low PSA vs. normal secretors in a post-hoc fashion. 183 patients were enrolled, including 15 (8%) identified as Low PSA Secretors using optimal PSA cut point of 5 ng/mL. Biopsies from Low PSA Secretors demonstrated higher t-SCNC and RB1 loss and lower AR transcriptional signature scores compared with normal secretors. Genomic loss of RB1 and/or TP53 was more common in Low PSA Secretors (80% vs. 41%). Overall survival (OS) was shorter in Low PSA Secretors (median OS = 26.7 vs. 46.0 months, hazard ratio = 2.465 (95% CI: 0.982–6.183). Progression-free survival

Monday, April 13, 2020

Mathematical model predicts patient outcomes to adaptive therapy -- ScienceDaily

Mathematical model predicts patient outcomes to adaptive therapy -- ScienceDaily: Researchers provide a closer look at a mathematical model and data showing that individual patient alterations in the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) biomarker early in cancer treatment can predict outcomes to later treatment cycles of adaptive therapy.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Patients of Metastatic Prostate Cancer Could Benefit from Immunotherapy Treatment | Cancer Network

Patients of Metastatic Prostate Cancer Could Benefit from Immunotherapy Treatment | Cancer Network: A recent study found that a group of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer responded positively to treatment with ipilimumab, prolonging survival after treatment in the “favorable” cohort.

Prostatepedia Digest

Prostatepedia Digest

Cancer scientists aim to use protein power to stop tumor growth -- ScienceDaily

Cancer scientists aim to use protein power to stop tumor growth -- ScienceDaily: Scientists have created a new therapy option that may help halt tumor growth in certain cancers such as prostate, which is among the most common types of cancer in men.

Monday, April 6, 2020

Managing Treatment for Patients with Prostate Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Cancer Network

Managing Treatment for Patients with Prostate Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Cancer Network: An international team of researchers created a framework of recommendations to help patients and healthcare professionals make decisions regarding radiation treatment for patients with prostate cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday, April 3, 2020

A Mobile App for Cancer Thrivers During the Coronavirus Pandemic — Cancer ABCs

A Mobile App for Cancer Thrivers During the Coronavirus Pandemic — Cancer ABCs: Today, our partners at Stand Up To Cancer announced an initiative that will both help scientists understand the emerging coronavirus pandemic and ensure the needs of cancer patients and survivors are being included as the research goes forward.

New blood test study uses artificial intelligence to identify cancer. But it's not ready for patients yet.  - Cancer Research UK - Science blog

New blood test study uses artificial intelligence to identify cancer. But it's not ready for patients yet.  - Cancer Research UK - Science blog: Researchers have revealed a new blood test that uses artificial intelligence to identify cancer, but it's not ready for patients yet.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Leveraging Digital Data to Inform and Improve Quality Cancer Care | Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

Leveraging Digital Data to Inform and Improve Quality Cancer Care | Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention: Background: Efficient capture of routine clinical care and patient outcomes is needed at a population-level, as is evidence on important treatment-related side effects and their effect on well-being and clinical outcomes. The increasing availability of electronic health records (EHR) offers new opportunities to generate population-level patient-centered evidence on oncologic care that can better guide treatment decisions and patient-valued care.

Methods: This study includes patients seeking care at an academic medical center, 2008 to 2018. Digital data sources are combined to address missingness, inaccuracy, and noise common to EHR data. Clinical concepts were identified and extracted from EHR unstructured data using natural language processing (NLP) and machine/deep learning techniques. All models are trained, tested, and validated on independent data samples using standard metrics.

Results: We provide use cases for using EHR data to assess guideline adherence and quality measurements among patients with cancer. Pretreatment assessment was evaluated by guideline adherence and quality metrics for cancer staging metrics. Our studies in perioperative quality focused on medications

Head-to-Head Comparison of 68Ga-PSMA-11 with 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in Staging Prostate Cancer Using Histopathology and Immunohistochemical Analysis as a Reference Standard

Head-to-Head Comparison of 68Ga-PSMA-11 with 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in Staging Prostate Cancer Using Histopathology and Immunohistochemical Analysis as a Reference Standard