Abiraterone acetate (AA) can be safely administered for long periods without concurrent steroids in patients with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), according to research presented here at the 2nd European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers (EMUC). AA reduces levels of testosterone, oestradiol, and cortisol, but it increases levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone, deoxycorticosterone, and corticosterone, which could lead to hypokalaemia, hypertension, and fluid retention.

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The American Urological Association (AUA)’s updated Prostate-Specific Antigen Best Practice Statement, first presented at the annual meeting of the AUA in April, was published in the November issue of the Journal of Urology. The statement includes the controversial guidance that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test should be offered to men starting at the age of 40 years, which one critic has said is not supported by any convincing evidence

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Drinking regular or decaffeinated coffee is associated with a reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer, new research conducted at the Channing Laboratory in Boston suggests. Men who drank the most coffee had a 59% decreased risk of either lethal or advanced prostate cancer compared with men who drank no coffee. The magnitude of risk reduction was more pronounced in men who never smoked.

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Repros Therapeutics has announced that the Company has entered into an amendment with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to its existing exclusive license for Proellex® that revises the existing milestones and dates for performance to provide additional time to lift the current clinical hold on Proellex or select a second generation molecule for further development from the family of anti-progestational agents covered by the license.

Dendreon Corp said it will submit its Provenge prostate cancer drug to the US FDA by the middle of November. The company expects to commercialize the drug by the middle of next year “to the many men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer who currently have few appealing treatment options.” The company also aims to initiate a clinical trial of its Neuvenge drug that will target bladder cancer in late 2010 or early 2011.

USHIFU has announced the establishment of India HIFU and the launch of Sonablate(R) HIFU services in Hyderabad, India at Dr. Ramayya’s Pramila Hospital for the treatment of prostate disease. The introduction of the Sonablate(R)500 and the HIFU technology for the treatment of prostate cancer marks a major milestone in the practice of urology in the Indian sub-continent. As the population is aging with a healthy lifestyle it is imperative that patients with prostate cancer are offered a viable alternative to the existing therapy options of surgery and radiotherapy.

According to Millennium Research Group’s (MRG’s) European Markets for Urological Devices 2009 report, the prostate cancer device market-comprising brachytherapy seeds, cryotherapy, and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) devices-will be driven by earlier detection of prostate cancer due to an increase in screening over the next five years. Screening allows for early detection of cancer, enabling treatment at a curable stage that can be facilitated through minimally invasive devices, such as those required for brachytherapy, cryotherapy, and HIFU procedures.

Cardium Therapeutics and its operating unit InnerCool Therapies, Inc., has developed a pelvic cooling catheter system called UroCool(TM). The product is designed to induce localized cooling during surgery for prostate cancer (radical prostatectomy). The new technology is being applied in collaboration with renowned prostate surgeon, Thomas E. The UroCool(TM) catheter is placed within the rectal cavity adjacent to the prostate during surgery. It is used in conjunction with InnerCool’s Celsius Control Console which circulates cold saline in a closed loop within the catheter to allow for localized cooling.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Watson Laboratories’ Rapaflo (silodosin) capsules for the treatment of symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Having high affinity for α-receptors concentrated in the prostate, the blocker binds them to smoothen muscles in the tissues. This relaxes them, improving flow of urine and reducing symptoms of BPH such as retrograde ejaculation, dizziness etc.

According to the findings of a clinical study conducted by researchers from Umea University in Sweden, adult male patients of locally advanced prostate cancer can gain from addition of radiation to androgen deprivation therapy. The study found that the group which received radiotherapy along with hormone therapy had greater survival rate. The risk of death from prostate cancer was cut by half.