MRI-Guided RT Reduced Acute Toxic Effects in Men With Localized Prostate Cancer
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) guided by MRI for localized prostate cancer resulted in fewer toxicities and an improvement in quality of life compared with CT guidance, according to the randomized phase III MIRAGE trial. At 3-month follow-up, incidence of acute grade 2 or higher genitourinary toxic effects was 24.4% with MRI-guided SBRT versus 43.4% with […]
Short-Course Apalutamide to Reduce Active Surveillance Attrition in Prostate Cancer
A majority of men in active surveillance (AS) for early prostate cancer had negative biopsies after a 90-day course of apalutamide (Erleada), a small phase II trial showed. Follow-up pathology showed no evidence of residual cancer in 13 of 22 evaluable patients following treatment with the androgen receptor inhibitor. The median time to a positive […]
Metastasis-Directed Therapy May Delay ADT in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) in selected patients with recurrent oligometastatic prostate cancer led to PSA responses in a majority of patients and delayed initiation of hormonal therapy by 18 months, a retrospective study showed. Overall, 77 of 124 patients had PSA declines of more than 50% with surgery or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). In particular, […]
A Fork in the Road on My ‘Cancer Journey’
For the past 12 years, I have been focused on my diagnosis of low-risk prostate cancer, and in 2016, I began sharing my experience and covering the latest developments in the field in my “A Patient’s Journey” blog for MedPage Today. But in recent months, a few events reminded me that prostate cancer isn’t my […]
Could a Plant-Based Diet Benefit Men’s Health Below the Belt?
MIAMI — A plant-based or plant-forward diet may offer some protection against prostate cancer and other sexual health issues, according to a systematic review. Twelve of the 23 studies that met the review’s inclusion criteria looked at prostate cancer, and data from large registry trials indicated a link between a plant-based diet and a decreased […]
Sexual Health Not Part of Discussion for Women Undergoing Brachytherapy
SAN ANTONIO — Despite the fact that both men and women who receive brachytherapy for prostate or cervical cancer may experience some degree of sexual dysfunction, physicians are much less likely to engage in discussions about sexual health with women than with men, according to research presented here. A single-center study found a striking difference […]
Shorter Course of Radiation Therapy Proves Mettle in High-Risk Prostate Cancer
SAN ANTONIO — A shortened radiation therapy (RT) protocol for high-risk prostate cancer led to similar outcomes with no increase in toxicity compared with the standard treatment schedule, a randomized trial showed. Overall survival (OS) at 7 years was 82%, with no difference between standard RT and hypofractionation that reduced treatment duration from 8 to […]
High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost in Prostate Cancer Improves QOL
SAN ANTONIO — Men with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer treated with external-beam pelvic radiotherapy (EBRT) had better quality of life (QOL) outcomes when the combined prostate brachytherapy boost had a high dose rate (HDR), according to research presented here. In a randomized phase III trial comparing health-related QOL outcomes after either low dose rate […]
High PSMA Predictive of Good Response to Radioisotope Therapy in Prostate Cancer
Uptake of a transmembrane protein, which is expressed by virtually all prostate cancers, on imaging could be a viable predictive biomarker of patient response to isotope-based therapy, according to data from the phase II TheraP trial. High baseline prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) uptake on PET was predictive of a favorable response to treatment with lutetium-177 […]
How Realistic Is Radical Prostatectomy Without Prior Biopsy?
In patients with a high suspicion of prostate cancer as determined by molecular imaging, avoiding biopsy prior to radical prostatectomy appeared to be feasible, and “might represent a valid option in well-counseled, selected patients,” according to German researchers. In a case series of 25 men who underwent primary radical prostatectomy without prior biopsy after an […]