Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Asian J Urol 2019 Jan 28;6(1):91-98. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.

Since androgen receptor (AR) signaling is critically required for the development of prostate cancer (PCa), targeting AR axis has been the standard treatment of choice for advanced and metastatic PCa. Unfortunately, although the tumor initially responds to the therapy, treatment resistance eventually develops and the disease will progress. It is therefore imperative to identify the mechanisms of therapeutic resistance and novel molecular targets that are independent of AR signaling. Read More

Eur Urol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Context: Accurate staging of high-risk localised, advanced, and metastatic prostate cancer is becoming increasingly more important in guiding local and systemic treatment. Gallium-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) has increasingly been utilised globally to assess the local and metastatic burden of prostate cancer, typically in biochemically recurrent or advanced disease. Following our previous meta-analysis, a high-volume series has been reported highlighting the utility of Ga-PSMA PET in this setting. Read More

Eur Urol Focus 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address:

Context: Recent studies focused on the molecular characterization of metastatic prostate cancer have identified genomic subsets and emerging resistance patterns. Detection of these alterations in patients has potential implications for therapy selection and prognostication.

Objective: The primary objective is to review the current landscape of clinical and molecular biomarkers in advanced prostate cancer and understand how they may reflect underlying tumor biology. Read More

J Urol 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Dept. of Urology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Purpose: Androgen deprivation therapy(ADT) alone has been the standard of care for metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer(mHSPC) for the last 75 years. This review focuses on recent trials and mechanisms that highlight a new paradigm, combining ADT with other agents, changing the management of prostate cancer patients with advanced disease.

Methods: A PubMed and Web of Science database search on peer-reviewed literature was performed through January 2018 using the keywords "metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer", " metastatic castration sensitive prostate cancer", "docetaxel", "abiraterone" and "senescence in cancer". Read More

Eur Urol Focus 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

There are many ongoing randomised trials of promising therapies for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), but standard systematic reviews may not synthesise these in a timely or reliable way. We demonstrate how a novel approach to evidence synthesis is being used to speed up and improve treatment evaluations for mHSPC. This more prospective, dynamic, and collaborative approach to systematic reviews of both trial results and individual participant data (IPD) is helping in establishing quickly and reliably which treatments are most effective and for which men. Read More

Lancet Oncol 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.

Background: Little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of men living with advanced prostate cancer. We report population-wide functional outcomes and HRQOL in men with all stages of prostate cancer and identify implications for health-care delivery.

Methods: For this population-based study, men in the UK living 18-42 months after diagnosis of prostate cancer were identified through cancer registration data. Read More

Oncologist 2019 Jan 29. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Background: NUT carcinoma is a rare aggressive disease caused by fusion, and upregulation plays a key role in the pathogenesis. Here, we report on the clinicopathological characteristics of Korean patients with NUT carcinoma and the in vitro efficacy of MYC-targeting agents against patient-derived NUT carcinoma cell lines.

Materials And Methods: Thirteen patients with NUT carcinoma were evaluated for p53, C-MYC, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HER2, and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) by immunohistochemistry. Read More

Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been a mainstay of treatment for advanced prostate cancer (PCa), but limited studies have been performed to investigate the association between ADT and autoimmune diseases.

Methods: We conducted a population-based nationwide cohort study of 17,168 patients newly diagnosed with PCa between 1996 and 2013 using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. Cox proportional hazards models with 1:1 propensity score-matched analysis were used to investigate the association between ADT use and the risk of autoimmune diseases. Read More

Annu Rev Med 2019 Jan;70:479-499

Genitourinary Oncology Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA; email:

The therapeutic landscape of prostate cancer has been transformed over the last decade by new therapeutics, advanced functional imaging, next-generation sequencing, and better use of existing therapies in early-stage disease. Until 2004, progression on androgen deprivation therapy for metastatic disease was treated with the addition of secondary hormonal manipulation; in the last decade, six systemic agents have been approved for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. We review clinical trials and survival benefit for these therapies and assess how the understanding of the disease shifted as these therapies were developed. Read More

Adv Urol 2018 26;2018:1525832. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Department of Orthopaedics, Animus-Kyanous Hospital, Larisa, Greece.

Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies worldwide. Hormonal deprivation therapy is a well-established treatment for locally advanced or metastatic diseases but exposes patients to the risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. Furthermore, the tropism of the PCa cells to osseous metastases increases the incidence of skeletal-related events (SREs). Read More

Cent European J Urol 2018 24;71(4):399-403. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

Department of Urology, Józef Struś Municipal Hospital in Poznań, Poland.

Introduction: There is a need for a new biochemical marker of aggressive prostate cancer (PCa). Inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2) is a candidate for such a marker - its activity is increased in certain tumors and neoplastic cell lines, including PCa, and may correlate with cancer aggressiveness.

Material And Methods: IMPDH2 levels were measured in blood samples from 34 PCa patients. Read More

Eur Urol Focus 2019 Jan 11. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Institute for Precision Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Advanced prostate cancer patients can present with both widely metastatic or oligometastatic disease. Accumulating clinical evidence suggests that patients with oligometastatic disease have improved clinical responses from metastasis-directed therapy. This suggests that tumours that give rise to the oligometastatic state are distinct biologically and genetically from those that induce widely metastatic lesions. Read More

Cells 2019 Jan 11;8(1). Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Division of Oncology, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna 40138, Italy.

Management of metastatic or advanced prostate cancer has acquired several therapeutic approaches that have drastically changed the course of the disease. In particular due to the high sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to hormone depletion, several agents able to inhibit hormone production or binding to nuclear receptor have been evaluated and adopted in clinical practice. However, despite several hormonal treatments being available nowadays for the management of advanced or metastatic prostate cancer, the natural history of the disease leads inexorably to the development of resistance to hormone inhibition. Read More

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2019 Jan 11. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics and the Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 1315 BRBII/III, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6160, USA. Electronic address:

Drugs used for the treatment of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) include Abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) and Enzalutamide (XTANDI). However, these drugs provide clinical benefit in metastatic disease for only a brief period before drug resistance emerges. One mechanism of drug resistance involves the overexpression of type 5 17-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (aldo-keto reductase 1C3 or AKR1C3), a major enzyme responsible for the formation of intratumoral androgens that activate the androgen receptor (AR). Read More

Eur Urol 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Urologic Sciences, Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address:

Background: Several systemic therapeutic options exist for metastatic castrate-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can molecularly profile metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and can influence decision-making, but remains untested in mCSPC.

Objective: To determine ctDNA abundance at de novo mCSPC diagnosis and whether ctDNA provides complementary clinically relevant information to a prostate biopsy. Read More

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2019 Jan 12. Epub 2019 Jan 12.

Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK.

Purpose: REASSURE is a global, prospective, non-interventional study to assess long-term safety of radium-223 in patients with bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Here we report an interim analysis of patients according to previous use of chemotherapy.

Methods: Radium-223 was administered in routine clinical practice. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Jan;98(2):e13954

Department of Andrology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing.

Background: Prostate cancer is a male malignant tumor disease with high prevalence in recent years. Patients with advanced prostate cancer are more likely to have bone metastasis and strong bone pain, and even lead to pathological fracture, which has a serious impact on the quality of life of patients. Acupuncture has good clinical efficacy in treating pain caused by prostate cancer. Read More

Radiat Oncol 2019 Jan 10;14(1). Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Department of Oncology and Palliative Units, Zealand University Hospital, Naestved, Denmark.

Background: This study was conducted to investigate a new short-course radiotherapy regimen for patients with metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) presenting with a dominant debilitating symptom.

Methods / Design: This is an international, multi-center single arm prospective feasibility study that aims to include 34 patients with HRPC and a dominant debilitating symptom. The dominant symptomatic lesion will receive 4 × 5 Gy of high-precision radiotherapy, and the most aggressive part of the lesion 4 × 7 Gy using a simultaneous integrated boost technique. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Jan 8;20(1). Epub 2019 Jan 8.

CHU de Québec⁻Université Laval Research Center, Quebec, QC G1R 2J6, Canada.

Localized prostate cancer (PCa) is often curable, whereas metastatic disease treated by castration inevitably progresses toward castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). Most CRPC treatments target androgen receptor (AR) signaling. However, not all CRPC cells rely on AR activity for survival and proliferation. Read More

Mol Cancer Res 2019 Jan 4. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.

Granulocytic myeloid infiltration and resultant enhanced neutrophil elastase (NE) activity is associated with poor outcomes in numerous malignancies. We recently showed that NE expression and activity from infiltrating myeloid cells was high in human prostate cancer xenografts and mouse -null prostate tumors. We further demonstrated that NE directly stimulated human prostate cancer cells to proliferate, migrate, and invade, and inhibition of NE attenuated xenograft growth. Read More

World J Urol 2019 Jan 2. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Department of Urology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06351, Korea.

Purpose: To evaluate focal therapy (hemiablation) eligibility in men undergoing prostate biopsy and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) with reference to histopathology from radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens.

Methods: Subjects were selected among 810 men who underwent prostate biopsy, mpMRI, and RP from January 2016 to December 2017. Hemiablation eligibility criteria were biopsy-proven unilateral cancer, prostate-specific antigen ≤ 15 ng/ml, and Gleason score (GS) ≤ 3 + 4. Read More

PLoS One 2019 2;14(1):e0210297. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States of America.

Background: Canine hemangiosarcoma (cHSA) is a highly metastatic mesenchymal cancer that disseminates by hematogenous and direct implantation routes. Therapies for cHSA are generally ineffective, in part due to advanced clinical disease stage at the time of diagnosis. The validation of conventional molecular methods for detecting novel biomarkers preferentially expressed by cHSA could lead to more timely diagnosis, earlier therapeutic interventions, and improved outcomes. Read More

J Clin Med 2018 Dec 18;7(12). Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Department of Nephro-Urologic Surgery and Andrology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is currently the most useful biomarker for detection of prostate cancer (PCa). The ability to measure serum PSA levels has affected all aspects of PCa management over the past two decades. The standard initial systemic therapy for advanced PCa is androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT). Read More

Eur Urol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address:

Background: TP53, PTEN, and RB1 tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) are recurrently altered in treatment-resistant prostate cancer. Cooperative loss of two or more TSGs may drive more aggressive disease.

Objective: To determine clinical outcomes of single and compound TSG alterations across the spectrum of prostate cancer. Read More

Clin Ther 2019 Jan 10;41(1):50-58. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Management and Economics Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

Purpose: Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide. In the past 10 years in Iran, prostate cancer has increased and become more common among hormone-related cancers. As the percentage of seniors in the population increases, the economic burden of this cancer will likely increase significantly. Read More

Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Background: Germline mutations in BRCA2 have been linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer (PCa), and high frequency of BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) gene alterations was recently reported in metastatic castration-resistant PCa specimens. Mutations in BRCA2 vary in racial and ethnic groups including African-American (AA) and Caucasian-American (CA) populations.

Methods: BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were sequenced (Ion AmpliSeq targeted sequencing) in archived blood DNA specimens in 1240 PCa patients, including 30% AA patients, in three different cohorts: localized early stage (T2) PCa (N = 935); advanced PCa (50% T3-4) (N = 189); and metastatic PCa (N = 116). Read More

J Endocr Soc 2018 Dec 11;2(12):1381-1394. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

The Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Despite the amenability of early-stage prostate cancer to surgery and radiation therapy, locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer is clinically problematic. Chemical castration is often used as a first-line therapy for advanced disease, but progression to the castration-resistant prostate cancer phase occurs with dependable frequency, largely through mutations to the androgen receptor (AR), aberrant AR signaling, and AR-independent mechanisms, among other causes. Semaphorin 3C (SEMA3C) is a secreted signaling protein that is essential for cardiac and neuronal development and has been shown to be regulated by the AR, to drive epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and stem features in prostate cells, to activate receptor tyrosine kinases, and to promote cancer progression. Read More

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2019 Mar 6;103(3):605-617. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom.

Purpose: To establish the toxicity profile of high-dose pelvic lymph node intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and to assess whether it is safely deliverable at multiple centers.

Methods And Materials: In this phase 2 noncomparative multicenter trial, 124 patients with locally advanced, high-risk prostate cancer were randomized between prostate-only IMRT (PO) (74 Gy/37 fractions) and prostate and pelvic lymph node IMRT (P&P; 74 Gy/37 fractions to prostate, 60 Gy/37 fractions to pelvis). The primary endpoint was acute lower gastrointestinal (GI) Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) toxicity at week 18, aiming to exclude a grade 2 or greater (G2+) toxicity-free rate of 80% in the P&P group. Read More

J Immunother Cancer 2018 Dec 4;6(1):141. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Background: Checkpoint inhibitors have not been effective for prostate cancer as single agents. Durvalumab is a human IgG1-K monoclonal antibody that targets programmed death ligand 1 and is approved by the U.S. Read More

Asia Pac J Clin Oncol 2018 Nov;14 Suppl 5:9-12

Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.

The management of advanced prostate cancer today follows a multidisciplinary approach and involves multi-target treatments. The paradigm has shifted from traditional hormonal therapy, surgery and radiation, to the use of chemotherapy, and until recently the development of various immunotherapies and radiopharmaceuticals. Recent advances turn to molecular medicine combining the expertise of molecular pathology and genetics. Read More

Asia Pac J Clin Oncol 2018 Nov;14 Suppl 5:13-15

Hong Kong Integrated Oncology Centre, Central, Hong Kong.

Bone metastases are a hallmark of advanced prostate cancer and may drive the morbidity and mortality of the disease in patients with a poor prognosis. The pathogenesis of bone metastasis involves the interaction between cancer cells, normal bone cells and the bone microenvironment. Targeting the bone microenvironment has become a promising therapy for patients with advanced prostate cancer and bone metastasis. Read More

Oncology (Williston Park) 2018 11;32(11):570-3

As the world population ages, we can expect to care for an increasing number of older cancer patients. Prostate cancer is inherently a condition that affects patients of advanced age. In caring for these patients who have advanced prostate cancer, it is important to first assess the health status of the patient and his goals of care. Read More

Transl Androl Urol 2018 Oct;7(5):824-830

Department of Urology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Approximately one in five men will demonstrate biochemical recurrence (BCR) following local therapy for prostate cancer (PCa). Advanced imaging modalities including positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of various radiotracers have become more commonplace to visualize foci of disease recurrence. We performed a systematic review of the literature to describe current evidence in support of 18F-fluciclovine (Axumin) PET imaging in this clinical setting. Read More

Cancer 2019 Feb 16;125(3):453-462. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Background: Surgical and medical androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) strategies are comparable in their ability to suppress serum testosterone levels as treatment in patients with metastatic prostate cancer but differ with regard to cost and impact on quality of life. Medical ADT is associated with better long-term quality of life due to the flexibility of possible therapy interruption but comes with a higher cumulative cost. In the current study, the authors examined whether surgical ADT (ie, bilateral orchiectomy) was used differentially by race/ethnicity and other social factors. Read More

Aust Prescr 2018 Oct 2;41(5):154-159. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Department of Medical Oncology, Canberra Hospital.

Androgen Deprivation Therapy Has An Important Role In The Medical Treatment Of Advanced And Metastatic Prostate Cancer:

The Treatment Of Metastatic Prostate Cancer Is Influenced By Whether The Patient’s Disease Has Progressed On Androgen Deprivation Therapy Or Not It Is Considered To Be Castrate-resistant Disease If The Cancer Has Progressed Despite Adequate Suppression Of Androgens:

Chemotherapy Using Docetaxel Or Cabazitaxel And Anti-androgen Drugs Such As Abiraterone And Enzalutamide Can Be Used To Treat Castrate-resistant Disease Radium-223 Is An Option For Patients With Bony Metastases:

Metastatic Castrate-resistant Prostate Cancer Is Now Considered A Chronic Illness As The Life Expectancy Of Patients Has Almost Doubled Due To The New Treatments General Practitioners Are Therefore More Likely To Encounter Patients With Disease- And Treatment-related Complications: Read More

Case Rep Oncol Med 2018 14;2018:2059364. Epub 2018 Oct 14.

Division of Hematology and Oncology, George Washington University School of Medicine, USA.

Background: Denosumab has become the preferred agent over zolendronic acid to help prevent skeletal-related events in patients with metastatic bone disease and multiple myeloma because it is approved for use in those with kidney dysfunction. However, denosumab has been linked to cases of hypocalcemia, particularly in those with advanced kidney disease.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a patient with metastatic prostate cancer and chronic kidney disease due to obstructive nephropathy who developed severe hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia after denosumab injection, which required intensive care unit admission, aggressive calcium supplementation, and hemodialysis assistance. Read More

Endocr Relat Cancer 2019 Jan;26(1):59-71

Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

ATM is a well-known master regulator of double strand break (DSB) DNA repair and the defective DNA repair has been therapeutically exploited to develop PARP inhibitors based on the synthetic lethality strategy. ATM mutation is found with increased prevalence in advanced metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ATM mutation-driving disease progression are still largely unknown. Read More

Anticancer Res 2018 Nov;38(11):6029-6039

Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Inhibiting androgen receptor (AR) signaling with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) represents the mainstay of therapy for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. However, about 20-60% of patients receiving first-line treatment for prostate cancer will relapse, evolving in a more aggressive and lethal form of the disease, the castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), despite the use of ADT. Multiple approved systemic therapies able to prolong survival of patients with metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) exist, but almost invariably, patients treated with these drugs develop primary or acquired resistance. Read More

Biomaterials 2019 Jan 16;190-191:63-75. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia; Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia; George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332-0405, USA; Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 2a, 85748 Garching, Germany. Electronic address:

Peritoneal invasion through the mesothelial cell layer is a hallmark of ovarian cancer metastasis. Using tissue engineering technologies, we recreated an ovarian tumor microenvironment replicating this aspect of disease progression. Ovarian cancer cell-laden hydrogels were combined with mesothelial cell-layered melt electrospun written scaffolds and characterized with proliferation and transcriptomic analyses and used as intraperitoneal xenografts. Read More

World J Urol 2018 Oct 29. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.

The heterogeneity of prostate cancer has made imaging modalities of crucial importance in this disease. Accurate diagnosis and staging of the volume and extent of disease, especially in advanced and metastatic prostate cancer, can help to tailor the timing and modalities of treatment. While MRI has been effective in the detection of significant prostate cancer, its use in the identification and quantification of extraprostatic disease is limited. Read More

Lancet 2018 12 21;392(10162):2353-2366. Epub 2018 Oct 21.

Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit at University College London (UCL), London, UK. Electronic address:

Background: Based on previous findings, we hypothesised that radiotherapy to the prostate would improve overall survival in men with metastatic prostate cancer, and that the benefit would be greatest in patients with a low metastatic burden. We aimed to compare standard of care for metastatic prostate cancer, with and without radiotherapy.

Methods: We did a randomised controlled phase 3 trial at 117 hospitals in Switzerland and the UK. Read More

Integr Cancer Ther 2018 12 23;17(4):1172-1182. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

1 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology and Hematology, Paracelsus Medical University, Klinikum Nuernberg, Nuernberg, Germany.

Purpose: To report on a telephone consultation service with cancer patients and their relatives about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) between 1999 and 2011.

Methods: We offered a Germany-wide, free-of-charge telephone consultation service about CAM led by oncology clinicians from a comprehensive cancer center. The consultations followed a patient-centered approach with the aim to provide guidance and evidence-based information. Read More

J Oncol Pharm Pract 2018 Oct 22:1078155218808080. Epub 2018 Oct 22.

4 Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Introduction: Treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with conventional therapies is still not successful. Therefore, application of novel biological approaches such as immunotherapy, which appears to be more effective and less toxic, is necessary. Monoclonal antibodies against cancer specific antigens are a kind of immunotherapy that have been approved for specific types of cancer and are being investigated for prostate cancer as well. Read More

F1000Res 2018 21;7. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

Advanced prostate cancer includes a wide spectrum of disease ranging from hormone naïve or hormone sensitive to castration resistant, both containing populations of men who have demonstrable metastatic and non-metastatic states. The mainstay of treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). However, recent level 1 evidence demonstrates that the addition of chemotherapy or abiraterone acetate to ADT results in significant survival advantage as compared with ADT alone. Read More

Eur Urol 2019 Mar 15;75(3):378-382. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutations are rare in prostate cancer, and their histological and clinical characteristics are largely unknown. We conducted a retrospective study to explore disease characteristics and treatment outcomes of men with metastatic prostate cancer harboring germline and/or somatic MMR mutations detected using clinical-grade genomic assays. Thirteen patients with a deleterious MMR gene mutation were identified. Read More

Anticancer Drugs 2019 Feb;30(2):179-185

Departmental Unit of Clinical and Experimental Uro-Andrologic Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS, Fondazione G. Pascale.

In the pre-chemotherapy (CT) and post-CT settings of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (AAP) significantly extended median overall survival and radiographic progression-free survival (PFS) compared with prednisone alone. Yet, few data are available on therapy efficacy in the subgroup with visceral metastases, who represent a small population with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical experience of AAP in patients with mCRPC with liver and/or lung metastases in real-world setting. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 10 15;10:CD012816. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Department of Urology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Background: There has been considerable development in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer over the last decade. A number of agents, including docetaxel, cabazitaxel, abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide and sipuleucel-T, have been reported to improve outcomes in men with castration-resistant disease and their use is being explored in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Objectives: To assess the effects of early taxane-based chemohormonal therapy for newly diagnosed, metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Read More

Front Oncol 2018 24;8:397. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

Division of Oncology, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy.

Management of localized and advanced prostate cancer benefits from several therapeutic options with a surprising improvement in terms of clinical outcome. The selection of patients more likely to benefit from a specific approach still remains a key issue as well as the early identification of patients with aggressive disease which could benefit from a more aggressive treatment strategy. The lack of reliable bio-marker in castration resistant setting able to monitor response to treatment and early inform about tumor progression is an emerging issue. Read More