Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial

DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 14 Tumor growth was stalled and survival rates lengthened in mice fed a low-carbohydrate diet, U.S. researchers found.
The study, published in the journal Prostate, found mice fed a low-fat but high-carbohydrate diets had larger tumors. The mice on a diet high in both fat and carbohydrates had the biggest tumors and the worst survival rates.
"This study showed that cutting carbohydrates may slow tumor growth, at least in mice," lead researcher Dr. Stephen Freedland, of Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, N.C., said in a statement. "If this is ultimately confirmed in human clinical trials, it has huge implications for prostate cancer therapy through something that all of us can control, our diets."
The researchers hypothesized carbohydrates in the diet affect the levels of serum insulin and a related substance known as insulin-like growth factor in the body.

Family counseling improves lives of patients and spouses coping with ...

Families coping with prostate cancer report improved quality of life from a structured support program integrated into the patients cancer management, according to a new study. The findings appear in the December 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. This randomized clinical trial by Dr. Laurel Northouse from the University of Michigan and co-investigators found that patients and their spouses who participated in a five-session home counseling program reported significant improvement in such areas as symptom management, hope, uncertainty and couples communication.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men. While treatment advances have reduced mortality rates since the early 1990s, the treatments themselves are often associated with serious permanent side effects, such as urinary incontinence or sexual dysfunction.

Dendreon Completes Target Enrollment of 500 Patients in Phase 3 IMPACT ...

SEATTLE, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) today announced that the Company has completed enrollment of over 500 patients in the Phase 3 IMPACT (IMmunotherapy for Prostate AdenoCarcinoma Treatment, also known as D9902B) clinical trial of PROVENGE (sipuleucel-T), the Company's investigational active cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The IMPACT study is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial designed to measure overall survival in men with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer receiving PROVENGE versus placebo.

Earlier this year, following a positive recommendation from an outside panel of experts, Dendreon received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that asked for additional evidence that would support the efficacy of PROVENGE.