Prostate Cancer

The effect of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s controversial grade “D” recommendation regarding PSA-based screening for prostate cancer “has been minimal at best,” according to a research letter that also shows a “shocking” level of statewide variance in screening, a leading prostate cancer expert said.

The ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer test qualifies for Medicare coverage effective Nov. 3, 2014, MDxHealth SA announced, while the maker of a second test, the Decipher Prostate Cancer Classifier, has added a new preferred provider organization to expand coverage of that test.

Results of a study analyzing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program add to evidence of race-related disparity in receipt of treatment for prostate cancer, but show that having health insurance reduces the difference in care.

Results of a phase II study from the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium show that abiraterone acetate (ZYTIGA) has modest clinical activity in men with progressive metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer previously treated with ketoconazole.

Inappropriate use of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist for androgen deprivation therapy of localized prostate cancer fell dramatically following implementation of reimbursement cuts mandated by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, but overuse remains problematic, according to research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.

In this interview, Ian Thompson, MD, answers questions about the downside of diagnosing low-risk prostate cancer, the burdens of active surveillance and how to minimize them, and how his own approach to screening and biopsy have changed.

The Decipher Prostate Cancer Classifier test predicts disease aggressiveness, influences treatment decisions, and predicts which patients may benefit from post-prostatectomy radiation therapy, according to findings from three studies presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting in San Francisco.

The FDA’s approval of enzalutamide (XTANDI) to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in the pre-chemotherapy setting is a potential game changer for both patients and treating physicians, especially urologists, according to leaders in the prostate cancer field.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients whose tumors contain the androgen receptor (AR)-V7 splice variant are less likely to respond to enzalutamide (XTANDI) and abiraterone acetate (ZYTIGA), recent study results indicate.

In these videos, H. Ballentine Carter, MD, discusses the evidence supporting active surveillance, and Leonard S. Marks, MD, and colleagues outline which men are good candidates for surveillance.

Men who eat over 10 portions a week of tomatoes have an 18% lower risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a newly published study from the United Kingdom.

As it becomes apparent that more prostate cancers are clinically insignificant than previously believed, the role of active surveillance in the management of men with low-risk prostate cancer merits expansion.

Steven A. Kaplan, MD, introduces #LetsTalkMensHealth, a novel new section in Urology Times focused on men’s health.

Other products featured include a testosterone gel, exercise program to strengthen male pelvic muscles, and a book about prostate cancer diagnosis and management.

Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy is associated with a rising rate of hospitalization for urinary tract infection, new study results indicate.

Presentations of phase III data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago further support the conclusion that the oral androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (XTANDI) addresses an unmet therapeutic need for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the pre-chemotherapy setting.

A recent study confirms that treatment choices for localized prostate cancer are not stagnant but continue to evolve, writes Leonard G. Gomella, MD.

The question of what role urologists should play in managing hormone-resistant prostate cancer is "controversial," says Kenneth Jacobsohn, MD.

Use of surgery has increased steadily among all men with clinically localized prostate cancer, and in those with low-risk disease, brachytherapy utilization has declined.

A significant number of older men with limited life expectancy continue to undergo routine prostate cancer screening, researchers say.

Drugs and devices in the pipeline form Clarus Therapeutics, Nymox Pharmaceutical, Bioniche Life Sciences, Repros Therapeutics, BioLight Life Sciences Investments/Micromedic Technologies, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceutical, H. Lundbeck A/S, Transplant Genomics, Orion, Bayer, and Roche.

Recently published data from the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) indicate that screening for prostate cancer could reduce deaths from the disease by about one-fifth.

Two independent published trials have validated the performance of an epigenetic test that could provide physicians with a better tool to help eliminate unnecessary repeat prostate biopsies.

A genomic tool for prostate cancer appears to provide physicians and patients with improved decision making about the use of radiation therapy after radical prostatectomy.

A new study showing a survival benefit of more than 1 year with a chemotherapy-hormonal therapy combination given prior to castration resistance is being hailed by a leading prostate cancer expert as possibly representing a “new standard” in care.