Prostate Cancer

Doctors are taught to think through medical decisions by listing a series of options, weighing the risks and benefits of each, and ultimately concluding on the superior option. This comparative maximization approach is drilled into us as medical students and residents.

Christopher Sweeney, MBBS, medical oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the future of prostate cancer research.

Dendreon, the maker of the first FDA-approved immunotherapy for advanced prostate cancer, sipuleucel-T (Provenge), has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Access to radium-223 dichloride has been restored following a temporary suspension in production by its manufacturer Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals to adjust its manufacturing process to meet certain quality standards that the company has in place.

Despite being discovered more than 150 years ago, tumor cells present in the blood of patients with cancer are only now inspiring significant research efforts. Technological advancements have allowed the isolation and enrichment of these rare cells and, as potential metastatic "emissaries," they have significant potential for improving the detection and treatment of advanced and possibly even early-stage disease.

A round-up of new drugs that are being investigated as treatments for genitourinary cancers.

Over the past 6 months, we have had two studies that will profoundly affect our management of advanced prostate cancer patients.

Despite the promise associated with biomarker-based tools as a means of helping to guide cancer diagnosis and treatment, there is a potential stumbling block: insurance reimbursement.