Us TOO University Presents:
Estrogen Deficiency Side Effects Due to Androgen Deprivation Therapy.

This free webinar/teleconference with speaker Samir Taneja MD will
take place Wednesday, September 23, 2009, at 8pm Eastern,
7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific.

For more information and to RSVP today, go to:
http://www.ustooevents.org/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=2700

Patients who experience fatigue during radiotherapy for breast or prostate cancer may be reacting to activation of the proinflammatory cytokine network, a known inflammatory pathway, according to a report in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

• Fatigue is a major side effect of radiotherapy
• Inflammation mechanism suggests possible treatment option
• Test done in breast and prostate cancer

Androgen-deprivation therapy is well-established for treating prostate cancer but is associated with bone loss and an increased risk of fracture. Matthew R. Smith and an international team investigated the effects of denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody against receptor activator of nuclear factor-{kappa}B ligand, on bone mineral density and fractures in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for nonmetastatic prostate cancer. In today’s New England Journal of Medicine, August 20, they report positive results:

Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, age 65, announced on Friday that he had prostate cancer, in an early, treatable form. His PSA blood test, taken during an annual physical exam, plus follow up biopsy and treatment are covered by his Congressional health care plan, he said.

Princeton, New Jersey; July 9, 2009 — Sandoz today announced the introduction of bicalutamide tablets, USP a generic equivalent of Casodex®, in the United States. Bicalutamide is an androgen receptor inhibitor indicated for use in combination therapy with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analog for the treatment of Stage D2 metastatic carcinoma of the prostate.

According to IMS Health, US sales for branded bicalutamide tablets, USP were approximately USD 319 million for the twelve months ending April 2009. Sandoz will market bicalutamide in 50mg strength tablets, the same as Casodex®.

Proton beam therapy for prostate cancer, a treatment that attracts more than an average numbers of engineers, scientists and pilots, is coming under intense scrutiny from reporters who expect it to be questioned by the Obama adminstration’s health-care reform team.

Today’s New York Times reports:  “A unit in Philadelphia operating with virtually no outside scrutiny botched 92 of 116 prostate cancer treatments over a span of more than six years.” Dr. Gary D. Kao, according to the report, ran a “rogue” cancer unit which covered up botched procedures in which radioactive “seeds” intended for the cancerous prostate landed in the bladder or near the rectum. Dr. Kao’s team rewrote treatment plans, according to the Times, to cover up his bad aim.

“These results confirm the clinical value of Provenge to prolong survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer,” said Dr. Philip Kantoff, head of the prostate cancer program and chief of the division of solid tumor oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and a principal investigator of the Provenge study, in a statement.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for a drug that is well tolerated and that gives men with advanced prostate cancer another option,” said Christopher Amling, chief of urology at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore., who wasn’t involved with the study.

– Extended Median Survival by 4.1 Months and Increased 3-Year Survival by 38 Percent Compared to Placebo –
– First Active Cellular Immunotherapy for Cancer to Prolong Survival –
– Company to Host Webcast at 5:30 pm ET –

CHICAGO and SEATTLE, April 28, 2009 – Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) today announced that its pivotal Phase 3 IMPACT study of PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) in men with advanced prostate cancer met its primary endpoint of significantly improving overall survival compared to placebo. The data were presented at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting.

The intent-to-treat analysis demonstrated that:

* PROVENGE extended median survival by 4.1 months compared to placebo (25.8 months versus 21.7 months);
* PROVENGE improved 3-year survival by 38% compared to placebo (31.7% versus 23.0%);
* The IMPACT study achieved a p-value of 0.032, successfully exceeding the pre-specified level of statistical significance defined by the study’s design (p-value less than 0.043), and PROVENGE reduced the risk of death by 22.5% compared to placebo (HR=0.775); and
* PROVENGE exhibited a favorable safety profile consistent with prior trials.

Hyam Levitsky

A four part interview with  Hy Levitsky M.D., professor of oncology and tumor immunology at Johns Hopkins Medical School and co-inventor GVAX anti-cancer vaccine, is posted on Dendreon Investor Village website.

Interview conducted by rufustoehee, a dentist and Dendreon investor, published 4/22/2009.

By way of introduction, Dr Levitsky’s bio is posted alphabetically downpage among those of other speakers at Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapy 2008: From Discovery to Development to Drug.

EXCERPTS FROM INTERVIEW

Conversation with Dr. Levitsky Part 1
“. . . . how this impacts on the field of tumor immunology, I feel it will very much depend on the nature of the data they present, assuming for the sake of discussion, that this is an unequivocal and unambiguous win, then I think it will have a very significant impact. Number one, I think that unless there are aspects to this that have not been made public, I think the FDA would in this instance need to move it forward in the approval process and I think that how it ultimately gets integrated into clinical practice will be a fascinating thing to watch.

“. . . . It is important to acknowledge that tumor response is a surrogate endpoint. It is a surrogate endpoint for perhaps 2 other endpoints that might be more meaningful. One is overall survival which is the gold standard and the other perhaps is the quality of life. No one can argue that those two things have sort of the paramount importance where as to an objective 50% or greater reduction in the mean diameter of all measurable tumor masses is an interesting yard stick, but it is only a yard stick.”