prostate-report.org

Fewer prostate cancer surgery complications found in teaching hospitals with fellowship programs

According to a new study by Henry Ford Hospital, patients who undergo radical surgery for prostate cancer may expect better results, on average, if they’re treated in accredited teaching hospitals with residency programs, and better still if the hospitals also have medical fellowships.

This is the first study to suggest that better post-operative outcomes may be expected at fellowship training than residency training institutions

Prostate drug abiraterone ’set for NHS use’

A drug for advanced prostate cancer is likely to be approved for NHS use in England and Wales after the medical watchdog reversed an earlier decision.

Abiraterone, initially rejected by NICE for not being cost effective, costs about £3,000 a month and can extend life by more than three months.

The decision prompted an angry response from patients and cancer charities.

Final approval will be made in June after the manufacturer offered the oral tablet at an undisclosed lower price.

New tests to detect prostate cancer early

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is one way to find prostate tumors early, but PSA testing can miss some cancers or produce a false-positive result.

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Michigan believe a new urine test is more accurate. The urine test works by identifying gene fusions that occur when pieces of two chromosomes stick together. These fusions are common in prostate cancer. The urine test identified 80 percent of patients with it.

Biomarkers for prostate cancer detection discovered

A new Mayo Clinic study has found alterations to the “on-off” switches of genes occur early in the development of prostate cancer and could be used as biomarkers - known as DNA methylation profiles - to detect the disease months or even years earlier than current approaches. These biomarkers also can predict if the cancer is going to recur and if that recurrence will remain localized to the prostate or, instead, spread to other organs.
The team leades says the PSA test detects any prostate abnormality, whether inflammation, cancer, infection or enlargement, while the DNA methylation changes are specific to prostate cancer.

The discovery could someday help physicians diagnose prostate cancer earlier and make more effective treatment decisions to improve cure rates and reduce deaths. It also points to the development of new drugs that reverse the DNA methylation changes, turning the “off” switch back “on” and returning the genetic code to its normal, noncancerous state.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence rejects “routine” use of cabazitaxel in UK

A media release issued today by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, says the institute’s advisory board will not recommend “routine” use of cabazitaxel for the treatment of metastasic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.
It is clear from the media release that NICE decided that the price for treatment with cabazitaxel (also known as Jevtana) did not, in its opinion, justify the potential benefits when the risk of complications and side effects of treatment were taken into account.

However, NICE will recommend use of the drug in ongoing or future clinical trials.

Updated version of book on advanced prostate cancer

Malecare has just issued an updated version of its free book on recurrent and advanced prostate cancer. Many people have gained great benefit from the first edition of this book, and we are sure that the new version is equally useful. However, you do have to “sign up” to be able to download the new edition, which will clearly mean that readers start to receive a regular stream of e-mails about related Malecare services.

If interested you may sign up here