On May 26th, the FDA approved another highly sensitive imaging compound specifically for prostate cancer called 18F-DCFPyL. This is the second such approval in less than six months; in December 2020, the FDA approved 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET (gallium-68 PET scan). These pioneering new scanning tools will revolutionize prostate cancer detection. Both imaging agents are used to more »
When something bad happens in the life of a ‘new’ Christian, they will often say “why is this happening to me?” (‘New’ here refers to one who has newly put their faith in Jesus and thus entered into a personal relationship with God.) When something bad happens in the life of a mature Christian (i.e more »
I have been compiling a list and brief description of such drugs as I learn about them from the scientific literature or other reliable sources. While my list of therapeutic agents under various stages of clinical development may not be complete, one can always search the site ClinicalTrials.gov. Recently three new therapies under development for more »
Recurrent prostate cancer is usually treated with radiation alone or with the addition of hormone therapy. Doctors currently use certain criteria—like tumor grade and PSA level—to recommend whether patients with recurrent prostate cancer should get hormone therapy in addition to radiation. But studies have shown that these characteristics aren’t very good at identifying people who more »
As an ongoing cancer patient, I have often asked God why I was allowed to experience this cancer from 1995 until this day. It is often difficult to see first hand how God can use a difficult situation for His good and His glory. But remember, we still read the book of Job today in more »
On Friday, December 18, 2020, the US FDA approved the first oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist, relugolix (Orgovyx), for adult patients with advanced prostate cancer. This is an important advance because it offers another option to patients who are taking hormone therapy. One of the mainstays of treatment for high-risk and metastatic prostate cancer more »
The Prostate Cancer Foundation recently posted a blog describing the best dietetic advice for those of us with prostate cancer. The benefits of extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, coffee, tea, fish, nuts, soy and vitamin D are described. See the following for detail.
If you have been on hormone therapy (androgen deprivation therapy, ADT) for significant periods of time, e.g. greater than six months, this blog has some valuable information and recommendation for you. A new study reports that long-term exposure to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a common treatment for prostate cancer, is associated with worse cardiorespiratory fitness more »
Attached is a link to a pictorial table of specific vegetables and fruits to eat which contain nutrients to combat cancer and other conditions. Try to eat three every day. The table comes from the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
A recent post on this website discussed the newly approved PSMA-PET scan for the detection of smaller areas of metastatic cancer. Here are five important pieces of information from the Prostate Cancer Foundation about the recently approved gallium-68 PSMA-PET scan. They are: 1) exactlywhat is PSMA-PET scanning? 2) how does it work? 3) is the more »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gallium 68 PSMA-11 (Ga 68 PSMA-11) as a positron emission tomography or PET imaging agent for men with prostate cancer. The molecule is the first approved PET imaging agent that detects prostate cancer lesions by targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) — a protein produced at more »
If you are considering genetic testing to identify whether a potential therapy might be useful against your prostate cancer, this article may be helpful to you. This test can help identify genetic changes such as BRCA1, BRCA2 and ATM mutations in which case a corresponding targeted drug, such as olaparib (Lynparza), may be useful. The more »
Provenge (sipuleucel-T) by Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, is superior to Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) or Xtandi (enzalutamide) at prolonging the lives of men with metastatic castration (hormone)-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) when added at any point in a treatment regimen, according to a real-life study in the U.S. The study, “A Retrospective Observational Analysis of Overall Survival with Sipuleucel-T more »
The following Nov. 24th article from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes recent clinical trial findings that for some patients with painful spinal metastases from advanced cancer, a type of precise, high-dose radiation therapy (SBRT) may be a highly effective way to relieve that pain. About a third more »
I hope today finds you all doing well and healthy. But, as cancer survivors, we all have had days wherein we were feeling overwhelmed either with the disease itself or our anxieties. So for those days, I pass along this message I recently received from YouVersion entitled “You Are Not Alone.” If you are unsure more »
Lantheus Holdings has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of PyL, an investigational imaging agent used to locate prostate cancer lesions. The new drug application (NDA) sent to the FDA includes a request for priority review, which if granted may shorten PyL’s regulatory review process from the usual more »
Philippians 4:6-7 states as follows: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication (asking humbly and earnestly), with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Earlier this month, I needed to undergo more »
The ExoDx Prostate Test is a non-invasive, non-digital rectal exam, urine test used as a risk assessment tool to provide risk probabilities for aggressive prostate cancer. The technology relies on cancer-specific genomic biomarkers found in the urine. The test analyzes three cancer-specific biomarkers found in the urine associated with aggressive prostate cancer: ERG, PCA and more »
Two recent approvals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have opened a new avenue of treatment for some men with prostate cancer: an expanded role for targeted therapies. The approvals are for the drugs olaparib (Lynparza) and rucaparib (Rubraca). They cover the use of the drugs in men whose prostate cancer has spread, or more »
The American Urological Association (AUA), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) have released new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of advanced prostate cancer, developed by a panel of experts. In addition to their own expertise and experience, panel members assessed data from 264 prostate cancer studies in developing more »