Second Leading cause of death among men in the United States is prostate cancer. “About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, and one in 35 will die of this disease.” 1 Estimated in 2008 (United States), 186,320 diagnosis prostate cancer cases and 28,660 related deaths. 6 In December 2008, the Food and Drug Administration approved injectable drug Degarelix for advanced prostate cancer, effectively better than standard treatment, stopping the production of testosterone linked to prostate cancer. 1

Prostate is a gland (Organ that produces a secretion for use elsewhere in the body 2) about the size of a walnut. “It is located in front of the rectum and just below the bladder.” The gland functions to produce fluid known as semen (seminal fluid 3 ): Delivers sperm (40 to 600 million 5) during the male orgasm or ejaculation. 4 Also, prostate gland functions (more…)

If you’ve been told that you have prostate cancer, then you’ve probably had The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test, been physically checked and probably have already had a biopsy performed. Once all this has established your condition, your cancer is then assigned a score.

These scores determine what stage your cancer has progressed. During the biopsy, the lab will assign what’s called a Gleason score helps the doctor in determining what stage your prostate cancer is currently in. The appropriateness of any treatment is dependant on the advancement of your prostate cancer. Staging and the Gleason score will help determine which treatment program is right for you.

While a prostate cancer is considered serious, don’t forget that it’s typically very slow growing. If your cancer has progressed to the stage where intervention is necessary, a procedure known as Brachytherapy may be in order.

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There are many treatment options for prostate cancer available today. Basically the type of treatment will depend on the extent of the disease as well as the age and health of the patient, expected life span, personal assessment of the potential risks and side effects of the treatment.

For tumors that are still contained within the prostate itself, radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy are common treatment options. Sometimes, no treatment is given until the tumor gets bigger. For the older men who have larger risks of dying from other health problems rather than the prostate cancer, a ‘watchful wait’ approach is often adopted. The doctor will monitor the tumor’s growth by constantly checking the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. If the cancer is not too serious, there will be no further treatment. Once the tumor grows, hormone therapy is usually given. Hormone therapy basically reduces the level of androgens. The androgen (more…)

In July, 2008, British researchers claimed to have won a major victory for prostate cancer treatment. According to recently release reports, a new drug, abiraterone, may be used to treat as many as 80% of patients suffering from advanced forms of prostate cancer.

Researchers worldwide involved in the treatment of prostate cancer are cautiously optimistic, and welcoming what may arguably be the best news in prostate cancer treatment research in the past 15 years. It is thought that larger clinical studies now need to be conducted to determine important side effects of the new drug’s use, as well as the level of its benefits versus the possible drawbacks of the drug treatment.

Abiraterone is a drug manufactured by Cougar Biotechnology Incorporated, and currently being investigated for use in treatment of prostate cancer. It works to block the production of testosterone, which enhances the growth and development of prostate (more…)