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.