Informed Prostate Cancer Patient Support

Some Items of Interest September 2025 Edition Game-Changing MRI Technology Promises Faster, Cheaper Prostate Cancer Detection Revolutionary biparametric MRI proves equally effective while cutting costs by nearly half A groundbreaking international study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on September 10, 2025, has demonstrated that a streamlined MRI approach can detect prostate cancer with the same accuracy as current standard methods while reducing costs by 47% and cutting scan time in half. The PRIME Diagnostic Clinical Trial, led by researchers at University College London and involving 22 hospitals across 12 countries, compared two MRI techniques in 555 men with suspected prostate cancer. The study found that biparametric MRI (a two-stage process) was "noninferior" to the current gold standard multiparametric MRI (a three-stage process that requires gadolinium dye injection). Key findings: Biparametric MRI detected clinica...

New Research Portal Offers Evidence-Based Integrative Cancer Treatment Guidance Patient-Led Initiative Addresses Growing Gap Between Standard Care and Experimental Treatments A comprehensive new online research portal designed to help prostate cancer patients navigate integrative oncology treatments was unveiled at the Cancer Patient Lab's recent webinar. The Hacking Cancer Research Portal, developed by Patient Led Oncology researchers Mark Taylor and Gabriele Gavazzi, aims to bridge the expanding knowledge gap between standard oncology care and evidence-based complementary treatments. The Challenge: Information Overload and Treatment Gaps Mark Taylor, who developed the portal following his own pancreatic cancer diagnosis, noted: "What we're starting to see – and I think it will only accelerate – is a bigger and bigger gap between what the standard of care is offering and what you can get with a doctor who's paying attention to the latest research." The port...

New research validates concerns about 2012 recommendation against screening while highlighting advances in personalized testing A major new study published in Wiley's Online Library confirms what many in the prostate cancer community have long suspected: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's (USPSTF) 2012 recommendation against PSA screening has had measurable negative effects on cancer-specific mortality in younger men. The research, led by Dr. Fabian Falkenbach from the University of Montréal Health Center, analyzed data from over 270,000 prostate cancer patients and found a 1.2-fold increase in cancer-specific mortality among men under 75 following the USPSTF's recommendation against PSA screening. Key Findings from the Falkenbach Study The comprehensive analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database records from 2004-2021 revealed several crucial findings: For Men Under 75: Cancer-specific mortality at 6 years increased from ...

Exact Sciences Launches Cancerguard Multi-Cancer Detection Test For the Informed Prostate Cancer Support Group Newsletter September 2025 A New Era in Early Cancer Detection On September 11, 2025, Exact Sciences Corporation launched Cancerguard, a revolutionary liquid biopsy test that screens for signs of more than 50 different cancer types from a single blood draw. This breakthrough represents the first commercially available multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test that analyzes multiple classes of biomarkers to enhance detection capabilities. Nearly 70% of annual cancer cases and deaths in the U.S. occur in cancers with no recommended screening. Cancerguard addresses this critical gap by targeting aggressive diseases responsible for more than 80% of annual new cancer diagnoses, including cancers of the pancreas, ovaries, liver, lungs, esophagus, and stomach. Notably, the test excludes breast and prostate cancers from its screening panel. Clinical Performance and Tec...

New Research Clarifies Best Candidates for Brachytherapy Monotherapy in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer Major study refines treatment selection criteria while global research confirms brachytherapy's continued effectiveness Key Findings Groundbreaking research published this month is helping patients and physicians make more informed decisions about brachytherapy treatment for intermediate-risk prostate cancer. A comprehensive study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, following over 1,600 patients for more than 10 years, has identified which men with intermediate-risk disease are best suited for brachytherapy alone versus those who may need additional treatments. The bottom line: Men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer who have clinical stage cT1-cT2a disease AND PSA levels below 10 ng/mL appear to be excellent candidates for brachytherapy monotherapy, with 10-year biochemical failure rates as low as 5.8% overall. What This Means for Patients The research provi...

Actinium-225: The Alpha Revolution in Prostate Cancer Treatment A Comprehensive Guide for the Informed Prostate Cancer Support Group By your Editor & Claude AI Anthropic for the IPCSG Newsletter - [9/12/2025] Breaking News: The Supply Chain Revolution The landscape of advanced prostate cancer treatment took a dramatic turn in late 2024 when Cardinal Health announced weekly production of Actinium-225 (Ac-225) at commercial scale—the first company globally to achieve this milestone. This development addresses what has been the primary bottleneck in bringing alpha-particle therapy to patients worldwide. The Science Behind the Promise Schematic comparison of the distance traveled and Linear Energy Transfers (LETs) of α, β particles, and Auger electrons in tumor and healthy tissues. Reference What Makes Actinium-225 Special? Actinium-225 is not just another radioactive isotope—it's what scientists call an "alpha particle nanogenerator." Unlike the beta pa...