What is the cost of Provenge (sipuleucel-T)? Men with late-stage prostate cancer that has spread after hormone therapy or surgery may want to ask about the cost of treatment to help them make medical decisions. Provenge costs $93,000 for the full six-week treatment, which includes three infusions. The reason for the high cost of Provenge…
Many men will experience a relapse or progression of a prostate cancer, in which case a physician may recommend Provenge after prostate surgery. According to the National Cancer Institute there will be over 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer in 2013 and nearly 30,000 deaths. Your treatment will depend on both the stage and grade…
Locally advanced prostate cancer is generally defined as a prostate cancer that has invaded local tissue, but not spread to lymph nodes or to other distant areas. Patients commonly ask questions about locally advanced prostate cancer, how to treat it, and its prognosis. What is the best treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer? Until the past several years,…
A clinical trial is studying whether combining Provenge with Zytiga for men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer leads to meaningful outcomes. In this particular study, scientists are examining whether there is a benefit in how well Provenge (sipuleucel-T) works when Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) is given at the same time or if it is better delaying treatment with…
When men with prostate cancer need to choose a treatment option, it’s helpful to have information that compares and contrasts the different therapies. Now a first-of-its-kind study has compared two of those treatment choices and found that prostate surgery (prostatectomy) yields better survival than external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). In particular, the study examined robotic…
High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a relatively new radiation-free treatment that uses high-powered sound waves (ultrasound) to deliver heat that kills prostate cancer cells within the gland. Although HIFU for prostate cancer has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of prostate cancer, it has been and continues to…
Cryotherapy, or freezing, is a method of destroying prostate cancer by subjecting the prostate gland to the extreme temperature of -40° Celsius. The procedure, done under anesthesia, consists of using ultrasound image guidance to insert thin hollow needles into the prostate gland through the perineum (skin between the scrotum and anus). When argon gas is…
The treatment that many U.S. cancer patients receive to kill their cancer may actually enhance its growth. You don’t need to be told that chemotherapy is highly toxic stuff. This poison kills cells—both the cancer cells and healthy cells. But people may be surprised to learn that chemotherapy actually can boost cancer growth. Researchers made…
In order to understand prostate cancer and immunotherapy treatment, you need to learn a little bit about the progression and standard treatment of prostate cancer. In the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men with more than 200,000 new cases and more than 27,000 deaths annually. In some…
The number of prostate cancer patients who opt for active surveillance (AS) is rising. The most important reason men go on AS is to avoid the risks that accompany whole-gland treatments. In fact, it’s so important to patients that according to a Dutch study, 30% who were not considered candidates for AS chose it anyway…
The challenge to overcome cancer has been around as long as the human race has known about cancer. An Egyptian papyrus from 1600 B.C. identifies cancer and describes removal of a breast tumor by cauterizing (burning) it. The writer notes that there is no known cure for cancer. In modern times, the three main methods…
It appears that metformin, an oral drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, may slow prostate cancer growth in men. The announcement was made by Anthony M. Joshua, MBBS, PhD, staff medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network in Toronto, at the AACR Meeting 2012 held March 31-April 4. In individuals who…
Finasteride (Proscar) is a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) as well as male pattern baldness. When scientists noticed that finasteride inhibited the conversion of testosterone to DHT (a hormone that fuels prostate tumor growth), they initiated a study called the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) in the early 1990s. (Thompson 2003)…
Testosterone has important benefits for men. When it’s at a normal level, it helps develop muscle mass, decrease fat, avoid depression, keep bones strong, maintain libido, improve erections, and may help reduce risks of cardiovascular and cognitive disease. However, about 40% of men over the age of 45 have symptoms of reduced blood levels of…
A virus treatment for prostate cancer may be on the horizon following a study showing how a modified virus can target and kill prostate cancer cells. The study is the latest of decades of research exploring the potential use of viruses to treat prostate cancer. How virus treatment for prostate cancer works According to the…
A possible new treatment for advanced prostate cancer may come in the form of an approach that attacks stem cell-like cells. The new therapy is under investigation by researchers at Lund University and Skane University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden. Even though prostate tumors are believed to contain only about 0.1 percent cancer stem cells, Anders…
Your prostate cancer treatment team should consist of several specialists. As with every functional team, every member has an important role in your care. Your prostate cancer treatment team is essential because most men will now live many years with their prostate cancer. You will have many prostate cancer treatment options, and you need to be…
This may sound strange, but there’s never been a better time to have prostate cancer. By that we mean there is aggressive activity into the research and development of new prostate cancer treatments, and they hold a great deal of promise. So in response to the question, “What’s on the horizon when it comes to…
Prostate cancer retreatment with sipuleucel-T may be possible, according to Tomasz Beer, MD, a leading prostate cancer researcher and Deputy Director at the Oregon Health and Science University, Knight Cancer Institute in Portland. Dr. Beer presented results from his study at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. What is sipuleucel-T? Sipuleucel-T is a…
It has been a common practice among clinicians to prescribe hormone therapy for early prostate cancer. This approach is effective at suppressing the production of testosterone, a hormone that fuels the cancer. At the same time, however, hormone therapy is associated with significant side effects and, so it appears, another important factor. Now the authors…
