Living Systematic Review Guides Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

As science and clinical medicine advance, oncologists increasingly face the challenge of information overload. It can be hard for oncologists, especially those in community practices who cover many cancers, to keep up with the influx of new therapies, biomarkers, and clinical trial results. The go-to solution has been the systematic review. Researchers team up to … Read more

Navigating the Mental Health Toll of Prostate Cancer and Its Side Effects 

Although early detection and treatment advances have significantly improved survival rates for patients with prostate cancer, the majority will face some form of sexual health side effect. Addressing these physical and emotional side effects is a priority for care teams at Dana-Farber.  But longstanding cultural barriers can often keep men from discussing sensitive issues like … Read more

Prostate Cancer Rates Raise Concerns: What You Should Know

Overall, cancer death rates have declined by 33% since 1991, according to a Jan. 2023 American Cancer Society report. Multiple cancers like leukemia, melanoma, and kidney cancer have seen significant declines in mortality due to great advances in treatments.   Prostate cancer rates had been on the decline for two decades, but the ACS report remarks that … Read more

Metastatic Prostate Cancer Can’t Slow Down Grandfather

Doug Kroc taught social studies for 40 years, but these days the retiree is more interested in making history than teaching it. Not the kind of events found in textbooks, but simple moments spent swimming and kayaking with his family or riding his bike along the backroads of Vermont. So when Kroc, 70, developed a … Read more

Newly Identified Regulator in Prostate Cancer Cells Could Serve as Drug Target for Advanced Tumors

Treating advanced prostate cancer typically involves surgery — to reduce levels of testosterone, which fuels the growth of tumors — or giving drugs that blockade the androgen receptor (AR), which responds to testosterone by stimulating cancer-growth genes. While these measures can keep the disease at bay initially, resistance almost always occurs as the androgen receptor … Read more

Prostate Cancer Screening: What You Need to Know

Prostate cancer screening options are available but are not necessarily recommended for all patients. There are positive and negative factors to consider when screening for this cancer, and options should be discussed with a doctor.   Who should be screened for prostate cancer? The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that people with prostates … Read more

The Latest Efforts in Precision Oncology for Advanced Prostate Cancer

The management of advanced prostate cancer is rapidly evolving with the application of precision treatments based on genomic testing of tumors’ altered DNA. With recent biomarker-driven drug approvals and increased clinical use of genomic testing, there are a number of opportunities to expand upon this framework. Researchers are calling for increased collaboration and new strategies. … Read more

Researchers Identify New Source of Drug Resistance in Prostate Cancer

For designers of targeted drugs, the biggest bullseye in prostate cancer has been the androgen receptor — a specialized net on prostate cells that snares androgen molecules to spur the cells’ growth. Drugs that block, or inhibit, the receptor can halt the cancer, but not all patients benefit from them, and nearly all those who … Read more

New Drug Target Found in Subset of Metastatic Prostate Cancers

Medically reviewed by Himisha Beltran, MD Prostate cancer, when diagnosed early, can be a very treatable disease. Even advanced prostate cancer has treatment options. But some advanced, metastatic prostate cancers become resistant to standard therapies by shapeshifting into a different type of cancer, called small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer. These neuroendocrine tumors tend to be … Read more

New study uncovers strategy for defusing castration-resistant prostate cancer

Cancer is often fueled by hormones, including the male sex hormone testosterone, which spur tumor growth in most forms of prostate cancer. Doctors can defuse this destructive relationship, typically with drugs (or sometimes surgery), but frequently, the tumors adapt or evolve, devising ways to incite cancer growth even in the absence of hormone-driven signals. These … Read more

Rugby Player-Turned-Researcher Seeks Mechanisms Behind Prostate Cancer Metastases

Leigh Ellis, PhD, once seemed destined for a career intercepting passes as a professional rugby player. Now, the Dana-Farber researcher is devising plays to intercept prostate cancer cells before they become metastatic. These tactics could also potentially slow other genitourinary diseases, including kidney cancer. Ellis’ laboratory works to better understand the underlying genetic and epigenetic … Read more