Study Alternative to Surgery for Gleason 6,7

[Drgucancer]

A new clinical trial opening next month with Active Surveillance vs Provenge Vaccine (provided free) for men with localized Gleason 6 and 7 prostate cancer. This study makes a lot of sense to me and a good alternative to put off surgery and its potential incontinence and impotence. I tell patients this doesnt replace surgery, but the longer you can put off surgery safely, the better surgical, radiation or other techniques become and another day ur not leaking urine or losing sexual function.

[dentaltwin]

I can't find this on clinicaltrials.gov. Is this the study?

businesswire.com/news/home/...

[Hidden in reply to dentaltwin]

This sounds a promising study for those who've not yet had treatment. Too late if you have.

What would be really good was if more research was done into treatment that could cure the cancer without the current risks.

I'm aware that treatments have improved enormously over the last three decades. I recall in the eighties that the main treatment was retropubiic (open) prostatectomy. Although incontinence was discussed with patients, impotence was barely mentioned and almost always inevitable. The surgery was butchery compared to today.

There were no MRI s or even ultrasound. Biopsies were very hit and miss.

Androgen deprivation therapy was fairly primitive, Stilboestrol or castration.

I believe that immunotherapy might be promising, possibly alongside Transurethral Prostatectomy if necessary. After all, if you could be certain to get rid of the cancer without the leaking and impotence, wouldn't that be preferable?

[dentaltwin in reply to Hidden]

I'm more familiar with targeted and immunotherapies in lung, breast cancer, melanoma and CAR-T (mostly for blood cancers). But sure--non-surgical treatments would be great. Most of the newer therapies seem to still be aimed at non-resectable cancers though. Obviously there's an enormous amount of interest (and money) being poured into these areas.

Of course, you'd like to avoid surgical sequellae. But some of the newer therapies have significant side effects as well (not to mention enormous cost). Hopefully there will be a shakeout and the therapies with favorable benefit/risk will find their place. Unfortunately my recent personal experience with family had led me to a greater interest in the literature related to other cancers. Perhaps Drgucancer (genitourinary?) can comment further about recent medical oncology related to PC.

[dentaltwin in reply to dentaltwin]

Oh--and this area holds promise for recurrence--especially in castration-resistant PC that has spread.

[Drgucancer in reply to dentaltwin]

Yes it is

[Darryl Partner]

Malecare presented information about this trial four months ago. healthunlocked.com/advanced... We'll have enrollment information as it becomes available.

[Drgucancer in reply to Darryl]

I have 16 patients lined up to enroll second week of Oct