Prostate Cancer

The first randomized trial to compare robotic-assisted prostatectomy with conventional open radical prostatectomy found no meaningful differences between these techniques in urinary and sexual function or in the rate of positive surgical margins in men with localized prostate cancer in the first 12 weeks after surgery (Yaxley JW, et al. Lancet. 2016 Jul 26. Epub ahead of print).
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The regular use of aspirin reduces the incidence of and risk for death from lethal prostate cancer, according to the results of a large observational study reported at the 2016 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. For the purposes of this study, lethal prostate cancer was defined as metastatic disease or prostate cancer–specific death.
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Increased levels of physical activity after a diagnosis of prostate cancer are associated with significantly better survival, according to the results of a new, large prospective cohort study (Friedenreich CM, et al. Eur Urol. 2016 Jan 7. Epub ahead of print).
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A liquid biopsy using phlebotomy blood samples can identify phenotypes and genomic characteristics of circulating tumor cells that may personalize treatment selection for men with advanced prostate cancer, according to the results of a study presented by Howard I. Scher, MD, Chief, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY, at the 2016 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
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San Antonio, TX—A genomic classifier is now available that can predict a low or high risk for metastasis in men with prostate cancer who have rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after a prostatectomy. The good news is that this test is reimbursable by Medicare.
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San Antonio, TX—Supplements that are often sold in supermarkets and health food stores to promote “men’s health” or “prostate health” do not provide any clinical benefits to men with prostate cancer, according to the results of a retrospective study presented at the 2015 American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting. Men’s health supplements did not significantly prevent distant metastasis, prostate cancer–related death, or treatment-related adverse events in this first-of-its-kind study.
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San Diego, CA—The introduction of 2 therapies for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)—the orally administered abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) and enzalutamide (Xtandi)—has prompt­­ed Leslie Hazel-Fernandez, PhD, Comprehensive Health Insights, Louisville, KY, and colleagues to conduct a qualitative study to evaluate the personal and other factors that influence the use of oral drugs among patients with mCRPC, as well as to gauge caregivers’ and physicians’ experiences with patients who use these oral medications. The results of this study were presented at the 2015 Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy annual meeting.
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Boston, MA—Researchers have defined an 81-feature molecular signature to identify neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), an aggressive and rapidly progressing entity that is increasingly being recognized in patients with advanced disease and signals poor overall survival. The signature, derived from genomic, transcription, and methylation analysis, relies heavily on epigenetic alterations.
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Enzalutamide (Xtandi) outperformed bicalutamide (Casodex) in separate phase 2 clinical trials of men with prostate cancer, according to data presented at the 2015 American Urological Association annual meeting.
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New Orleans, LA—Prostate cancer may soon have a new biomarker. The cell surface amino acid glypican-1 (GPC-1) was shown in a pilot study to have specificity of 70% for prostate cancer with a sensitivity of >30%, said Jonathan Henderson, MD, a urologist at Regional Urology in Shreveport, LA, at the 2015 American Urological Association meeting.
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