RE: clinical trials

[Guest guest]

Based on what I read on the website this is a good option for your

father-in-law. They say:

Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Patients in

group one will receive an injection of goserelin once every 3 months and

bicalutamide by mouth once a day for 2 years. Patients in group two will

receive goserelin and bicalutamide as in group one plus an infusion of

mitoxantrone on day 1 and prednisone by mouth twice a day for 3 weeks.

Treatment may be repeated every 3 weeks for six courses. Some patients

may also receive radiation therapy. Patients will be evaluated every 6

months for 2 years and then once a year for up to 13 years.

The control arm of the trial is a standard treatment that has been given

for many years. There will be some side effects and he should ask about

these so he is not surprised. Ghe can ask if there are patients already

in the trial he can talk to.

With breast cancer patients they have found that early chemotherapy has

a more positive impact on the course of the disease. They are looking

for a similar outcome from this trial for PCa.

It is a phase 3 trial. If it would make you feel more comfortable you

can ask what the outcomes were from the phase 1 and 2 trails. They will

be paying very close attention to your Fatter-in-law's PCa. That is a

very good thing. In addition he will be helping your husband and your

husband's generation since there will be knowledge gained by this trial.

Any man with a first degree relative with PCa has an increased

likelihood to develop PCa during their life times. If your father-in-law

ever wants to leave the trial he is free to do that.

Where is he going to be treated? If he were my FIL I would feel

comfortable with this trial if this is what he wants to do.

Kathy Meade

clinical trials

Hi all,

I've been kind of lurking here for a few months. My father-in-law,

62 years old, had a radical prostatectomy in November of 2004. I

don't know things such as his psa or gleason score. I do know that

it did not seem to have spread beyond the prostate, but I think the

margins were unclear. They want to do further treatment and he has

to make a decision on what to do. They have asked him to do a

clinical trial and he is unsure about it. If anyone has been

through one or has thoughts, positive or negative, about them,

please share them with me. The name of the trial is: Hormone

Therapy With or Without Mitoxantrone and Prednisone in Treating

Patients Who Have Undergone Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate

Cancer. It is in the USA and more information on it can be found on

the website for the National Cancer Institute at http://cancer.gov

Thank you,

Tina S.

[Guest guest]

Kathy,

Thank you so much for your input. My father-in-law is being treated

at Loyola in Maywood Park, IL, USA. He is really unsure about the

clinical trial. Hopefully, with the information that I obtained

from the NCI website and your opinion, he will have the information

he needs to make an informed decision.

Thanks again,

Tina

> Based on what I read on the website this is a good option for your

> father-in-law. They say:

>

> Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Patients

in

> group one will receive an injection of goserelin once every 3

months and

> bicalutamide by mouth once a day for 2 years. Patients in group

two will

> receive goserelin and bicalutamide as in group one plus an

infusion of

> mitoxantrone on day 1 and prednisone by mouth twice a day for 3

weeks.

> Treatment may be repeated every 3 weeks for six courses. Some

patients

> may also receive radiation therapy. Patients will be evaluated

every 6

> months for 2 years and then once a year for up to 13 years.

>

> The control arm of the trial is a standard treatment that has been

given

> for many years. There will be some side effects and he should ask

about

> these so he is not surprised. Ghe can ask if there are patients

already

> in the trial he can talk to.

>

> With breast cancer patients they have found that early

chemotherapy has

> a more positive impact on the course of the disease. They are

looking

> for a similar outcome from this trial for PCa.

>

> It is a phase 3 trial. If it would make you feel more comfortable

you

> can ask what the outcomes were from the phase 1 and 2 trails. They

will

> be paying very close attention to your Fatter-in-law's PCa. That

is a

> very good thing. In addition he will be helping your husband and

your

> husband's generation since there will be knowledge gained by this

trial.

> Any man with a first degree relative with PCa has an increased

> likelihood to develop PCa during their life times. If your father-

in-law

> ever wants to leave the trial he is free to do that.

>

> Where is he going to be treated? If he were my FIL I would feel

> comfortable with this trial if this is what he wants to do.

>

> Kathy Meade

>

> clinical trials

>

>

>

>

> Hi all,

>

> I've been kind of lurking here for a few months. My father-in-

law,

> 62 years old, had a radical prostatectomy in November of 2004. I

> don't know things such as his psa or gleason score. I do know

that

> it did not seem to have spread beyond the prostate, but I think

the

> margins were unclear. They want to do further treatment and he

has

> to make a decision on what to do. They have asked him to do a

> clinical trial and he is unsure about it. If anyone has been

> through one or has thoughts, positive or negative, about them,

> please share them with me. The name of the trial is: Hormone

> Therapy With or Without Mitoxantrone and Prednisone in Treating

> Patients Who Have Undergone Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate

> Cancer. It is in the USA and more information on it can be found

on

> the website for the National Cancer Institute at http://cancer.gov

>

> Thank you,

> Tina S.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>