Prostate Cancer

With many people looking to herbal and hormonal dietary supplements to prevent aging and to help resolve health problems, more research is needed to ascertain the safety and efficacy of these products. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas investigated the effect of a hormonal supplement after an unusual course of clinically aggressive prostate cancer developed in two men within months after they began taking the same product. One man had taken it to develop stronger muscles and enhance sexual performance, and the other man took it to gain muscle.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States, after lung cancer, and the seventh leading cause of death overall for American men. The incidence of prostate cancer has surged dramatically in recent years because of improved cancer screening and detection. In most cases, prostate cancer grows slowly for years, giving most men with early disease no obvious symptoms. All men are at risk for this cancer, but age, race, and family history may further increase the risk.

Quality of life should be weighed carefully when prostate cancer patients are considering treatment options. With treatment, it is not enough just to be a survivor, particularly with prostate cancer. Different therapies can have dissimilar effects on various aspects of everyday living. Researchers from nine hospitals evaluated data from 1,201 patients and 625 spouses or partners before and after surgical removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy), brachytherapy (implanted radioactive "seeds" in the tumor), or external-beam radiation.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Men age 75 and older should not be screened for prostate cancer, and younger men should discuss the benefits and harms of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test with their clinicians before being tested, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The recommendation and accompanying evidence summary appear in the August 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Cell Genesys, Inc. (Nasdaq:CEGE) announced the publication of final data from the second of two Phase 2 clinical trials (G-0010) of GVAX immunotherapy for prostate cancer in the online issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society. Results from this multicenter trial indicated an overall median survival of 35.0 months in the subset of patients who received a dose of GVAX immunotherapy for prostate cancer comparable to that currently being evaluated in the ongoing Phase 3 program.

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products targeting the extracellular matrix, announced the presentation of positive pre-clinical animal efficacy data for its pegylated-rHuPH20 enzyme (PEGPH20) at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Translational Cancer Medicine meeting in Monterey, CA.

Ridgeland, MS -- Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (HEPH) has commenced a Phase I/II clinical trial with its oral drug candidate APOPTONE(TM) (HE3235) in late-stage prostate cancer patients who have failed hormone therapy and at least one round of chemotherapy treatment. Potential activity of the compound will be measured by standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests and effect on well-established markers of progression free survival (PFS). In addition, the clinical trial will evaluate circulating tumor cell (CTC) enumeration as a marker for effectiveness for tumor treatment.

Amgen announced findings from a three-year pivotal Phase 3 placebo-controlled trial evaluating denosumab in the treatment of bone loss in men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for non-metastatic prostate cancer. In this study of more than 1,400 men, denosumab treatment produced statistically significantly greater increases in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (primary endpoint) and non-vertebral sites compared with placebo at multiple time points.

Dendreon Corporation announced that the Company has initiated a Phase 2 trial of PROVENGE(R) (sipuleucel-T), Dendreon's investigational active cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, in men with localized prostate cancer who are scheduled to undergo a radical prostatectomy. The single-center trial called NeoACT (NEOadjuvant Active Cellular immunoTherapy), or P07-1, which is being conducted at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, has begun enrolling approximately 40 patients.

The House of Representatives today approved historic legislation calling for increased support from the public and private sectors for the development of innovative advanced imaging technologies for early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer - the most common major cancer in the United States and the second-most-lethal cancer in men. House Resolution 353, introduced by Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Dan Burton (R-Ind.), has broad bipartisan support, with more than 100 cosponsors.