This website usually focuses exclusively on prostate cancer but this particular post could apply to the current worldwide coronavirus pandemic as well. Right now we as a nation and many of us as individuals may have a potential medical problem that has our stomach in knots with persistent worry. For most of us, it is more »
Upon recent discussions with my urologist and oncologist, they both informed me that the following is a highly significant development in imaging of prostate cancer. A medical imaging technique, known as PSMA PET/CT, that provides detailed body scans while detecting levels of a molecule associated with prostate cancer could help doctors better tailor treatments for more »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review to Clovis Oncology’s application seeking approval of Rubraca (rucaparib) for treating men with recurrent metastatic castration (hormone)-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and BRCA mutations. Clovis submitted its application to the FDA in November, 2019. The priority review status will shorten Rubraca’s regulatory review for this more »
How do you react in a severe storm or if you receive bad news? Do you tense up with fear or do you recall words such as those in Psalm 107:28-30? “Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that more »
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring a clinical trial at many locations comparing two types of radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The former is administered in less than two weeks while the latter is given in five weeks. The aim of the trial is to compare cure more »
Tumor samples from a prostate biopsy are graded (Gleason score) which is an indication of a tumor’s aggressiveness. The tumor grade reflects how far the cancer cells deviate from normal healthy cells. Gleason 6 cancer looks almost like normal prostate gland tissue while higher Gleason scores are indicative of more serious cancers. The Prostate Cancer more »
Blogger Dr. Bjarne (B.J.) Gabrielsen at Boca Grande Lighthouse, Charlotte Harbor, Punta Gorda, Southwest Florida Gulf Coast I am a prostate cancer survivor since 1995. If you know of any men in your life who may have an interest in prostate cancer at any stage of disease, please inform them of this website, Godandprostate.net, .com, more »
Every year, the PCF publishes an electronic guide providing information on all aspects of prostate cancer. The chapters covered are as follows. General information including diagnosis, symptoms, risk factors, and medical basics. Information for the newly diagnosed, including detection, diagnosis and treatment selection. Treatment options for localized or locally advanced prostate cancer. These include active more »
At a recent meeting of a prostate cancer support group, a list of internet informational resources were listed. Upon checking each one, I have found the following to be most informative and current. For a complete listing, see the section entitled Medical Resources on this website. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes more »
Progenics Pharmaceuticals’ PyL, a new imaging agent for positron emission tomography (PET) scans, can accurately detect the location of recurrent prostate cancer lesions, according to data from the Phase 3 CONDOR clinical trial. “There is a need for improved diagnostics for prostate cancer to replace conventional imaging tests that have limited performance characteristics, especially in more »
Delivering higher doses of radiation therapy over a shorter time period — an approach called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) — does not worsen side effects in men with localized prostate cancer, compared to conventional radiation therapy, a Phase 3 trial shows. The study also suggests that SBRT delivered through the CyberKnife System is less more »
This post is Part 2 following “Prostate Cancer Is My Assignment” posted Oct. 16th. Since 1995, I had been treated for prostate cancer at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. My excellent urologist, who knew me well, was aware I had kept a “prostate diary” over the course of my condition and urged me to write more »
As many of you readers know, I have earlystage, asymptomatic but advanced prostate cancer. After treatment with Provenge, I was informed (perhaps divinely through a former colleague) of a National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trial currently recruiting patients like myself. The protocol involves treatment with the vaccine Prostvac and the antibody therapy, Opdivo. I had written more »
This blog is Part One. Part Two, entitled “Why Do I Write This Website?’ will be forthcoming. I am sure most of you have heard about the Rev. Billy Graham. In 2018, his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, also a noted speaker and teacher, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She writes about enduring surgery, “seven brutal more »
In a recent study, investigators reported the findings of a clinical trial designed to compare the rates for detecting recurrent cancer sites using the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET-CT imaging agent (68Ga-PSMA-11) to those of 18F-fluciclovine in a group of men with recurrent prostate cancer who had already undergone prostatectomy and had very low levels more »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Erleada (apalutamide) for the treatment of men with metastatic, castration (hormone)-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC), or those whose cancer still responds to androgen deprivation (hormonal) therapy (ADT). The decision is based on the double-blind TITAN Phase 3 trial (NCT02489318), as it showed that adding Janssen’s Erleada to more »
Tumors with large numbers of prostate cancer cells with mutations in DNA repair genes (e.g. BRCA1 and 2) are easier to target using prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) therapies, and patients with these tumors are more likely to respond to this potential treatment’s use, a study found and published in European Urology. PSMA is a membrane more »
Men with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) given Lynparza® (olaparib), a breast and ovarian cancer treatment, lived a clinically meaningful longer time without disease progression or death compared to those given standard treatment with Xtandi® (enzalutamide) or Zytiga® (abiraterone) in a Phase 3 trial. These eligible patients had a mutation in one of 15 DNA more »
In a Phase 2/3 OSPREY clinical trial aimed at examining its diagnostic accuracy, 18F-DCFPyl (PyL), a new imaging agent for positron emission topography (PET) scans, can accurately detect prostate cancer lesions outside the prostate, whether in nearby lymph nodes or in distant locations, clinical trial data show. The tracer — developed by Progenics — is a more »
Among men suspected of having prostate cancer recurrence after surgery, the radiotracer 68Ga-PSMA-11 is better at detecting the cancerous lesions and provides better agreement among experts than the standard Axumin (18F-fluciclovine) tracer, a Phase 2 trial shows. The results were presented at the 2019 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting, held more »