Prostate Cancer

Although fewer men are being diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, more are being diagnosed with distant-stage disease, for which only about one-third survive beyond 5 years after diagnosis. Prostate cancer incidence and survival data for the United States were recently reported in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report . Approximately 3.1 million men were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2003 and 2017, and most men had localized prostate cancer, comprising 78% of cases in 2003 and 70% in 2017. A minority — 4% — had distant-stage prostate cancer in 2003, though this percentage doubled to 8% by 2017. Overall, the average annual percent change (AAPC) for the incidence of prostate cancer declined by 2.5% during the 15-year span. For cases diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, the AAPC declined by 3.3%, but for distant stage, the AAPC rose by 2.2% during the same time period. Also, an average percent change (APC) of 5.1% was seen for distant stage between 2010 ...

For patients with localized prostate cancer who undergo radiotherapy, giving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in the adjuvant setting leads to better oncologic outcomes than occur with up-front neoadjuvant ADT, which is how it is usually given. This new finding comes from an analysis of individual patient data from two large randomized trials, and it could change a clinical practice that has been going on for a decade, if not longer, say experts. In one of the two trials, ADT was initiated before radiotherapy and was continued during it (neoadjuvant); in the other, ADT was given after radiotherapy or was started during it but not before (adjuvant). In both settings, the duration of ADT was similar. "Thus, it's really a question as to whether you should start ADT months before radiation or whether you should start it when you start radiation and continue on afterwards," explained lead author Daniel Spratt, MD, an associate professor of radiation oncology at the Univ...

Providing optimal care for cancer patients includes a patient-specific treatment strategy. Researchers from Rutgers University have identified human gene markers that lead to the development of metastatic prostate cancer or cancer that spreads past the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States, and metastatic prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of 30%. Exploring prostate cancer cells in both humans and mice, the Rutgers investigators found a connection between 16 genes that lead to metastasis development, which can introduce treatment challenges. These gene markers may be able to predict if a patient has a high probability of developing metastasis. The biomarkers were initially discovered via analyses of bone metastasis on mice, revealing distinct molecular profiles tied to patterns of subclonal branching from the primary tumor. Integrating those data from both mouse and human datasets with functional s...

R apid advancement in treatment and surgical techniques for solid organ transplant means many transplant recipients—about half of whom are over age 50—now live well past middle age. As a result, men who receive kidney, liver, and heart transplants are facing issues related to aging, including screening and treatment for prostate cancer. The potential impact of immunosuppression on tumor biology should always be considered in men who are candidates for or who have had a solid organ transplant. In the past, there has been controversy over whether immunotherapy associated with transplant increases men’s risk for prostate cancer, as it does with other solid malignancies. However, there is no compelling evidence that immunosuppression affects development of prostate cancer, according to a review published in Reviews in Urology led by Herbert Lepor, MD, the Martin Spatz Chair of the Department of Urology and chief of urology at NYU Langone. Dr. Lepor is also director of Smilow Comprehensiv...

Providing optimal care for cancer patients includes a patient-specific treatment strategy. Researchers from Rutgers University have identified human gene markers that lead to the development of metastatic prostate cancer or cancer that spreads past the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States, and metastatic prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of 30%. Exploring prostate cancer cells in both humans and mice, the Rutgers investigators found a connection between 16 genes that lead to metastasis development, which can introduce treatment challenges. These gene markers may be able to predict if a patient has a high probability of developing metastasis. The biomarkers were initially discovered via analyses of bone metastasis on mice, revealing distinct molecular profiles tied to patterns of subclonal branching from the primary tumor. Integrating those data from both mouse and human datasets with functional s...

An integrated focal boost of radiation improved biochemical disease-free survival (bDFS) without increasing toxicity in prostate cancer patients with mostly high-risk disease, a Dutch randomized trial showed. With a median follow-up of 71 months, the 5-year bDFS rate significantly improved from 86% in the standard 77 Gy external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) arm, to 93% with a focal boost up to 95 Gy, meeting the study's primary endpoint, reported Linda Kerkmeijer, MD, PhD, of Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, The Netherlands. "FLAME is the first phase III trial to show that focal boosting improves 5-year biochemical disease-free survival, with relapse rates reducing from 14% to 7%," Kerkmeijer said during the virtual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting. "This was achieved without impacting toxicity or quality of life." Local recurrences in prostate cancer most often occur at the primary tumor, she said, and while control of pr...

Exercise Might Help Patients with Prostate Cancer Who are About to Start Treatment Adding positron emission tomography (PET) molecular imaging to conventional cancer screening guided treatment decisions that led to improved disease-free survival (DFS) among men with recurrent prostate cancer, according to findings presented at the virtual American Society for Radiation Oncology 2020 Annual Meeting. The phase II/III EMPIRE-1 (Emory Molecular Prostate Imaging for Radiotherapy Enhancement) trial, enrolled 165 patients with recurrent prostate cancer following prostatectomy. Participants were randomized to either radiation therapy based on conventional screening or treatment based on imaging with the fluciclovine PET radiotracer, a molecular imaging agent. The primary endpoint was failure rate at three years. The main goal of the investigation was to use the advanced molecular imaging to improve post-prostatectomy decision making regarding whether to deliver radiotherapy and optimiz...

Genetic alterations may contribute to African American men having higher instances of prostate cancer, and higher instances of dying from the disease, according a study published in Molecular Cancer Research. “Prostate cancer incidence and mortality are highest in African American men, but the exact reasons for the disparity are not fully understood,” said Jianfeng Xu, DrPH, Vice President of Translational Research at NorthShore University HealthSystem and senior author of the study via a press release. “The disparity is likely due to multiple factors, including socioeconomic differences and biology. We suspect that differences in the genetic changes that occur within tumors may play a critical role.” The researchers collated data on 171 African American patients and 860 white patients from several public databases. They observed distinct copy number alterations between African American and white patients in the more aggressive, high-grade prostate tumors (Gleason score 7...

PARIS , Oct. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rarecells, Inc. ( USA ), a leading Liquid Biopsy company, is pleased to announce that National Institute of Integrative Medicine's ( Melbourne, Australia ) researchers obtained striking results in a group of Australian men using the ISET® test for early prostate cancer diagnosis through the detection of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) positive Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC). The peer-reviewed article published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology (article), shows that the prostate cancer test based on CTC harvested with the ISET ® technology and identified by the Immuno-Cytochemistry (ICC) PSA marker has an estimated positive-predictive-value (PPV) of 99% and negative-predictive-value (NPV) of 97%, providing a more reliable screening test for prostate cancer than the standard PSA blood test (PPV = 25%; NPV = 15.5%).   Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in men worl...

As the most common cancer in British men – pointed out by Cancer Research UK – it could affect somebody you hold dear. Raising awareness about the disease is the Prostate Cancer Free Foundation. The charity urges people who experience any of the symptoms, listed below, to be tested for prostate cancer. A possible sign of advanced cancer is pain in the pelvis, hips, spine or upper legs. There could be blood present in urine or semen, pain or discomfort during ejaculation, and difficulty arousing an erection. Slow-growing prostate cancer may never cause symptoms or shorten life, so a screening programme hasn't been seen to be beneficial. This is particularly due to the side effects early treatment can have on a person who may otherwise have led a life unaffected by the cancer. In place of a national screening programme, there is an "an informed choice programme". Men, aged 50 or over, can ask their doctor about PSA testing, who'll detail the pros and cons o...

Our study demonstrated that pelvic visceral fat (PVF) and working space (WS) in the pelvic cavity are factors that significantly affect operative time in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Diverse space volumes were measured using the Synapse Vincent® (FUJIFILM, Tokyo) 3D image analysis software. This technology allows calculation of the volume of any space using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scan images. Working space is the area in the pelvis in which surgeons work during RARP. PVF and WS only can be measured using specific software. Therefore, we explored the measurement of pelvic width (PW) and body mass index (BMI) as practical alternatives. BMI and PW were correlated with PVF and WS, respectively. We concluded that increased PVF (BMI) and a narrower WS (PW) increase operative difficulty, leading to postoperative complications such as urine leakage from anastomoses. In this study, the cohort included only Asians (Japanese). The USA or Eur...

Men aged 45 to 75 will have the opportunity to be screened for prostate cancer this Thursday at the Apollo Medical Clinic in Hot Springs Village. The free screenings will be offered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at 110 LaPlaza West. The screenings are being conducted in partnership between Apollo Medical Clinic and the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation. Chris Collier, APCF executive director, told The Sentinel-Record that these screenings are blood tests that help in "establishing a baseline" where the participants are. "Over 90% of men never exhibit any symptoms," Collier said. These tests will show what level of risk the men who take them are at. Since many men with prostate cancer never have symptoms, Collier said that men often do not learn that they have it until it is in Stage 3 or Stage 4. "Men, as a rule, we do not like to go to the doctor. 'I'm not concerned about it because it won't happen to me,'" Collier said. "Unf...

Cal Ripken Jr. starts new campaign to encourage screening for prostate cancer Share Shares Updated: 3:24 PM EDT Oct 25, 2020 Hide Transcript Show Transcript JENNIFER: EARLIER THIS YEAR, ORIOLES LEGEND CAL RIPKEN, JUNIOR, ANNOUNCED HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER. HE'S CREDITING EARLY DETECTION WITH ONE OF THE REASONS WHY HE WAS ABLE TO WIN H BATTLE WITH THE DISEASE. SO MUCH SO, HE IS LAUNCHING A NEW CAMPAIGN WITH HIS UROLOGIST, TO ENCOURAGE EVERY MAN TO GET TESTED. JOINING US THIS MORNING, WITH MORE, CALIFORNIA'S VERY O DOCTOR, DR. RONALD TATRONE. THANKS FOR JOINING US. >> THANK YOU, JENNIFER. GOOD MORNING. JENNIFER: TELL US ABOUT THE NEW CAMPAIGN YOU'RE EMBARKING ON. >> WELL, IT'S A NEW CAMPAIGN. IT'S MORE OF CAL COMING OUT AND SHARING HIS STORY WITH THE PUBLIC. HE THOUGHT HE COULD DO A LOT OF GOOD FOR MANY PEOPL OUT THERE. IT IS -- PROSTATE CANCER IS THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCER IN MEN. AND THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF CA...

PSMA is an antigen expressed on the cell surface, which makes it a good target for treatment in prostate cancer, as well as renal cell carcinoma and other cancer types, but it is commonly overexpressed as castrate resistance emerges in men with prostate cancer. PSMA expression, for that reason, is more commonly observed in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), an area in which several new targeted therapies are being explored. Some of the latest PSMA-targeted approaches under development in prostate cancer include bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, and the lutetium studies. These are each at different stages in clinical development but appear hopeful for the treatment of this patient population. BiTE therapies can be used as repeated dosing, and they can be generated without having to make them specific. CAR T-cell therapy, on the other hand, requires waiting for the cells to expand before giving an infusion to the patient, wh...

Black race was found to be associated with improved prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) and all-cause mortality (ACM) among men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer who received radiation therapy in a large equal-access health care system, according to study findings published in Cancer . Additionally, the association of Black race with better morality rates persisted after researchers adjusted for multiple socioeconomic and disease characteristics. However, these findings, which are hypothesis-generating, still require further validation in prospective studies. “There is a need to continue to mitigate modifiable determinants of racial disparity in prostate cancer,” the authors wrote. “Although providing access to health care does not itself guarantee equal health outcomes, it bridges the divide of racial disparities for men with prostate cancer.” In this study, researchers conducted a pooled analysis of patients from 152 centers included in the Veterans Health Administration (...

A study from Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (Winship) has the potential to change how patients whose prostate cancer recurs after prostatectomy are treated. The study will be featured in both the plenary session and press program of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting on Monday, October 26. The Emory Molecular Prostate Imaging for Radiotherapy Enhancement, or EMPIRE-1 trial (NCT01666808), is the first randomized trial of men with prostate cancer with recurring cancer to show that treatment based on advanced molecular imaging can improve disease-free survival rates. The molecular imaging agent used in the study, the radiotracer fluciclovine (18F) PET, was invented and developed at Emory and Winship. The phase II/III trial was led by Winship radiation oncologist and prostate cancer specialist Ashesh B. Jani, MD, MSEE, FASTRO, and Winship nuclear radiology specialist David M. Schuster, MD, FACR. The trial enrolled 165 patients whose cancer ...

A novel surgical technique called the “hood technique” for robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy was shown to achieve early return of urinary continence without a negative impact on complications and cancer outcomes among men with localized prostate cancer, according to study findings published in European Urology. 1   The findings indicate that the hood technique allows for early return of continence after surgery without compromising positive surgical margin rates by sparing musculofascial structures anterior to the urethral sphincter complex. “A common [adverse] effect that patients worry about following a radical prostatectomy is urinary incontinence,” said Ashutosh Tewari, MD, senior author of the trial. 2  “This study shows that [by] using a novel surgical technique, the robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy ‘hood technique,’ we can reduce postoperative urinary incontinence and facilitate early return of continence in patients with localized prostate cancer.” T...

There no racial differences in survival outcomes between Black and White patients with metastatic prostate cancer, according to a study published in Frontiers in Oncology.  In this retrospective study, researchers assessed 1,319,224 patients from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The data were separted into three groupings based on the metastatic status: (1) no metastasis ( N  = 318,291), (2) bone metastasis ( N  = 29,639), and (3) metastases to locations other than bone, such as brain, liver, or lung ( N = 952). According to the researchers, survival probabilities of African American and white PCa patients with bone metastasis were examined through parametric proportional hazards Weibull models and Bayesian survival analysis. According to the results, the researchers did not find any statistically supported racial disparities among African American and white men with bone metastasis ( p =0.885), or liver, lung, or brain metastases. However, the researchers did ...

There no racial differences in survival outcomes between Black and White patients with metastatic prostate cancer, according to a study published in Frontiers in Oncology.  In this retrospective study, researchers assessed 1,319,224 patients from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The data were separted into three groupings based on the metastatic status: (1) no metastasis ( N  = 318,291), (2) bone metastasis ( N  = 29,639), and (3) metastases to locations other than bone, such as brain, liver, or lung ( N = 952). According to the researchers, survival probabilities of African American and white PCa patients with bone metastasis were examined through parametric proportional hazards Weibull models and Bayesian survival analysis. According to the results, the researchers did not find any statistically supported racial disparities among African American and white men with bone metastasis ( p =0.885), or liver, lung, or brain metastases. However, the researchers did ...

The model divides patients into nine stages of non-metastatic prostate cancer based on their point score — from stage 1 to stage 3, with each stage split into substages of A, B and C. STAR-CAP’s predictions outperformed or equaled previous, non-validated models, including the current American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, the study notes. And for a significant number of patients, the new model would reclassify them as having less advanced disease — 22% of patients, for example, who would be classified as stage 3A under the AJCC’s 8th edition criteria would be classified as stage 1C using the STAR-CAP system, a downgrade of four classification steps. “This is the kind of information that can give patients and doctors more confidence when discussing treatment options and expected outcomes,” Dess says. Several years ago, the AJCC established criteria to evaluate prediction models for the staging of prostate cancer — however, since no models met the criteria, the most recen...

Share this Article You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. Researchers have discovered human gene markers that work together to cause metastatic prostate cancer– cancer that spreads beyond the prostate. In their new study in Nature Cancer, researchers examined prostate cancer cells from people and mice and found a wide collaboration among 16 genes that leads to metastasis, which can often challenge treatment options. The gene markers researchers identified can predict if a patient has a high probability of developing metastasis, including bone. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States with a five-year relative survival rate of near 100% when diagnosed early. Metastatic prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of 30%. Current therapeutics like first- and next- generation anti-androgens that target male sex hormones alongside radiation, chemotherapy, and others ...

Prostate cancer impacts about 11 percent of men at some point in their lives with more than 200,000 cases and 30,000 deaths annually attributed to the disease. September was Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and physicians are reminding people of the importance of understanding the risk factors and getting checked. Dr. Israel Cajigas, family medicine physician at Mercy Health, said guidelines from the United States Preventative Services Task Board in 2018 stressed screening prioritize men between the ages of 55 and 69. “This is kind of where we're going to see that the highest risk for men, so age is definitely one risk factor," Cajigas said. "Younger than 55, it's a little bit too early to screen, the benefits would not outweigh any potential risks. "And age 70 or above, we see less of the benefits, also." Research suggests African American and Hispanic men are at heightened risk of dying from the disease, Cajigas said, pointing to studies showin...