$30,000/Mo. Cancer Drug

NyTimes has a story about Folotyn a chemotherapy drug for peripheral T-cell lymphoma. It was approved by the FDA and only helps shrinks tumors.

These drugs are used on other of the 180+ cancers but gives you an example of the $ involved in in the $50 billion/yr. spent on cancer treatment.

The cancer action now a non-profit company dealing with cancer patients. The above story is a part of this organization's concern.

Computerized Clinical Trials

This is an adjuvant to Human Clinical Trials. Computerized modelling of the human body.

Placebo Effect

The Increasing power of the Placebo Effect.
There is a reason that it works.

Official Google Blog: We’re Going (RED) for World AIDS Day

Official Google Blog: We’re Going (RED) for World AIDS Day

Photo Dynamic Cancer Tools

Here is yet another article and site fighting cancer. This is located in Indian Center for Advanced Medicine. PDT using a
photosensitizing agent and a special laser. Lots of hype will it work?
The UK wants to provide this treatment.

Cellphones cause brain cancer?

Cellphones seem to lead to brain cancers. Are we all a vast ctrial to the phone companies?

Prostate Lumpectomy

Prostate gland lumpectomies been offered for 12 years. A cryo removal of cancerous tumors in the prostate gland.

This makes much more sense because it is less expensive and less invasive then total removal of the gland. Since the prostate and the liver can both reproduce themselves this is a better way to return a cancerous prostate gland back to good health.
This also helps avoid the post-prostatectomy problems of erectile dysfunction and incontinence. Did I mention the VERY important issue of a better then standard biopsy diagnosis so that the cancer can be CURED.

Why this is not offered to ALL males with DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) lumps and/or rising PSA is beyond comprehension. This should be THE standard of care!

If you or a loved one has the above mentioned symptoms you owe it to yourself to investigate this treatment.

Provenge

Provenge is a working Pca drug now in clinical trials. Here is webmd's take. also see blog entry earlier on this site re: TRAP ctrial. It uses provenge.

Telomerase

Noble prize winners for research in Telomerase. This has uses in cancer trials. See Here for WSJ comments.

Cocaine Vaccine

Yes it's for real a cocaine vaccine. Could this have pca uses? May be too early to tell.

Mesotheolioma

This is a cancer of the lung's lining that usually kills within the year of diagnosis. It is linked to asbestos exposure.
Asbestos and the associated disease disease of the lungs. Will be claiming victims for decades to come. Asbestos is still in many products that were installed decades ago. I am looking at an asbestos reinforced siding that is very common in American cities.
Here is a good reference to asbestosis.
There is thought that nano particles may may induce the damage and the cancers seen with asbestos products. Here is a site that helps 'splain this.

Traveler's Diarrhea clinical trial

Traveler's Diarrhea clinical trial http://tiny.cc/tm6G8. I got this TD when I was back in

Bethesda, Md. If I was further along in my disease I feel sure it would have killed me.

THC and Cancer Treatment

This is a great blog with many references regarding the use of marijuana in cancer treatment. In California a patient can get a "215" card that allows possession of a small quantity of cannabis for medical purposes. This is also the largest cash crop in the state.

Cancer and Viruses

How many cancers are caused by viruses? Discovery magazine has a list and an interesting hypothesis. Here is info on a possible XMRV CFS connection 1st seen with XMRV and prostate cancer. More CFS XMRV info.
Breast Cancer caused by a murine (mouse) virus.
The CDC has a comment on a CFS HHP6/XMRV connection. (III, section 2., Laboratory Studies, #4 bullet.

"Evaluate the potential association of human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) and xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) with CFS using specimens from well-characterized patients and matched controls"

Bone Strengthening ctrials

Pca bone fractures are a problem. Here is a cTrial that suggests using zolendronic Acid to strengthen bones in men on ADT. Here is info on Denosumab which is testing better then zolendronic acid. The OSTEONECROSIS OF THE JAW problem is well addressed by the American Dental Association. If you take any of these drugs you will start to suffer irreversible jaw bone loss!

Make sure your dental work is complete before you get any of these bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw (BON) issues. Be sure to notify your Dentist that you are an advanced cancer patient about to use bisphosphate drugs. You will probably be in bone lesion induced pain so knowing this in advance is most helpful.

Bone loss issues are also a serious elderly female problem. Take the WHO's FRAX test to see your possible fatal hip bone fracture risk.

Here is more info on ADT and bone loss

Micrometostatic Pca Issues

A clinical trial that attacks micrometastisic Prostate cancer. It was started in 2007 and is for AI

(Androgen Independent) aka Castrate resistant Pca victims.

Where the Worst Germs Lurk

Germs can kill the weakened immune system where do you think the worst germs lurk? Here is more on the important topic. It kills you if you get SARS or H1N1 with a weaken immune system.

Be a good subject in ctrials keep it clean.

Epitope-Enhanced TARP Peptide Vaccine Versus TARP Peptide-Pulsed Dendritic Cells

A new NIH Bethesda, MD clinical trial. TARP Peptide trial. This is a good trial protocol as both arms get some presumed effective drug. Trials with placebos dealing with fatal illnesses seem to be ethically challenging.

MDV3100 Show promise

MDV3100 is a second generation androgen receptor (AR) antagonist. It seems to help with CR patients I wonder what it could do for those who have stage III? Here is the site of the manufacturer Medivation http://www.medivation.com/. Here is an article from Howard Hughes Medical Institute http://www.hhmi.org/. http://tiny.cc/HHMIMDV3100 .

Next Generation Proton X-ray Machine Needs $$$

DOE Lawrence Livermore National Labs & UC Davis have developed a new way to deliver Proton x-rays. This system could help treat many cancer victims because of the potential for significantly lower costs. There is also a chance to treat more challenging cancers. Here is text with a pix of the proton accelerator.

Current machine are the size of football fields because of the 100 ton magnets necessary to bend the charged particle (proton rays).

This system needs funding NOW!!! It is currently being developed by a private company that is a spin off of the Tomotherapy x-ray IGIMRT (Image-Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) manufacturers. They use conformal beam radiation in their HI-ART technology.

Proton therapy is better then IGIMRT because it sends the charged particles to the targeted tumor, not to the entrance skin and all the way through the other side of the body.

Prostate Cancer Care as Cost Effective Medicine

See NY Times Prostate Cancer as a Test of medical care or over treatment? They ignored HIFU and immunotherapy as primary care. Perhaps a good government will encourage newer innovations that CURE cancer and not line the pockets of Oncologists. This 2nd NY Times article noting the abysmal % of patients in clinical trials and note that Oncologists LOSE $ on clinical trials! Oncologists have a Negative incentive to present Ctrials to their patients.

Radiation/Oncologists may have their own problems filling their machine usage. Here is a sample of a biasd article. Here is the reply by the highest medical source. A post operative patient has12 weeks post surgery to have effective salvage radiation! Read the NIH report because x-rays can cause secondary cancers.

I suspect that the National Science Foundation may have funds available to help support the use of clinical trials. It seems that the NIH and NCI are unable to help themselves in this area. This will require social engineering. What can you say to a patient after he has been given a death sentence and they want him to spend his remaining days involved in medical treatments that may not work. The use of placebos in lethal diseases where open label could be used is a questionable method. It may be good science but would you want it used against you?

MDX-010 or ipilimumab

Ipilimumab seems to WORK!
This is an immunotherapeutic vaccine. I will flesh this out as I get more info.

Introduction to Prostate Cancer and clinical trials

Hello,
I am an Agent Orange prostate cancer victim. This means I was in Vietnam during the spraying of the herbicide which contained dioxin. This chemical is thought to cause aggressive cancer. I have been involved in several prostate cancer clinical trials and many other medical trials.

I am a volunteer in the SELECT prostate cancer clinical trial. This 10 year trial is run by the SWOG (Southwest Oncology Group). It showed that vitamin "E" and Selenium failed to prevent prostate cancer. It was because of this trial that I found out that I had a higher then normal PSA (Prostate Serum Antigen) reading (5.5). The "normal" PSA is less then 4.0 which still indicates cancer but is assumed to be safe.

In 2008-9, I was a volunteer in an Onyvax cancer vaccine trial at NIH (National Institute of Health) in Bethesda, MD. This is the headquarters of the WORLDS LARGEST clinical trial center. Onyvax, which is based in England, went bankrupt and the trial was closed. My PSA level went down during the androgen depletion therapy (ADT), also known as (aka) castrate therapy, portion of the trial but went back up after the ADT, which lasts about 5 months, wore off.

Cancer, in general, is lethal when it metastasizes especially to the liver and lungs. Prostate cancer is activated by testosterone (androgen). This was discovered in the 1940's. The 1966 Noble prize in medicine was awarded to the discoverers of this hormone driven mechanism.

The first treatment for prostate cancer with the intent to cure is removal of the prostate, seminal vessels and prostate bed lymph nodes. If you have a high Gleason score (a reading of a prostate biopsy with a score of 1-5 with 5 being the worst) on one side of the gland then the nerves will be removed from that side. These nerves control erections and urine flow.

If the PSA goes to undetectable AND STAYS THERE (it may take years for the cancer to return) then you are cured. This means that the survivor must still have a PSA test probably yearly for the rest of his life.

This cancer becomes lethal when it evolves into AI (androgen independent) aka, castrate resistant, mode and grows in the bones and organs. Many cancer trials are directed toward these patients. Normally, Pca AI patients have between 18-24 months to live. It is unfortunate that too many patients wait to fight this disease until they are told that they are in immediate danger of dying from it.

Why This Blog?

This blog is designed to be a bird dog on Prostate Cancer and is filled with many web references.

The (National Cancer Instute and National Institute of Health) headquartered in Bethesda, Md.
This is the worlds largest clinical trial site and organization.
The CDC provides info about vaccines that cancer patients who are involved in immuno-suppressive therapy's need to have. Some vaccines are NOT recommended for some cancer patients. Let your health provider know about these issues.

Health care providers may not be as helpful as you should expect.
If your Urologist is providing your primary cancer care after biochemical failure (rising PSA) after primary surgery, radiation or cryotherapy then you may not be well served. Oncology is the branch of medicine dealing with cancer usually involving chemotherapy or radiation.
American Cancer Society is a very popular site.
Malecare is a great non-profit site by a cancer patient.


The PCRI is one of many impressive cancer information sites.

Why would anyone want to be in a clinical trial?

Once the prostate has been removed or radiated and there is still cancer there is No CURE.

What is available is palliative care. No cure, just a chronic disease with many side effects.

Oncologists use a standard system to treat cancers. Most are involved in The National Comprehensive Cancer Network. This network lists standard treatments for cancers. At the bottom of each page is the statement "We recommend clinical trials".

Clinical Trials are broken down into 4 stages

Phase I is to test the toxicity of the test drug.

Phase II tests the tolerance

Phase III test efficacy against standard therapy.

Phase IV tests general

I am involved as a volunteer in the 2007 NCI-C-0188 Onyvax P-1vaccine trial.

This is a whole cell therapy with a one cycle hormone clinical trial. There is also an adjuvant, BCG.

The hormone shot reduces the PSA level.

Whole cell therapy is designed to boost the immune system to fight the cancer.

This is an allogeneic (made from combined cancer cells) Pca vaccine.

There are 14 total shots, 2 the first month and (once-a-month for 12 months).

This trial is still available at NIH in Bethesda,MD. This trial is now closed.

The old Tumor rating system or Jewett uses A,B,C,D as the method of grading the cancer.
This trial uses this old system.

The new system has a clearer definition.

Prostate cancer (Pca) has 4 stages in the T, N, M system.
T=Tumor (Primary)
N=Regional
M=Distal

Most men over 60 have a rising PSA with anything under 4.0 considered normal.