Active clinical trials for "Prostatic Neoplasms"

This study aims to determine whether surgeons at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are able to randomize patients to test modifications of surgery to remove the prostate. Surgery to remove the prostate is known as a "radical prostatectomy". Surgeons know many things about the best way to do a radical prostatectomy. However, there is disagreement about some aspects of surgery. Two modifications of surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy) identified for this study include Irrigation, and Fascial Suturing. Two aspects of the operation may vary, fascial suturing and urethral irrigation. For each aspect, surgeons will use their clinical judgment as to the best interests of the patient. In other words, if there are clear reasons to use or avoid a fascial suturing approach, the surgeon will act accordingly; similarly, if there is a clear reason to irrigate or avoid irrigating the urethra, the surgeon can make the appropriate clinical decision. If the surgeon is unsure as to which approach to take, then the randomization scheme will be followed. All of the surgeons who are taking part in this study have used these techniques at different times. However, they are unsure as to the best approach. Sometimes, they use different treatments with different patients. Irrigation. Cancer cells can spill during surgery and this can cause cancer to return ("recur"). Some surgeons believe that "irrigating" could help stop spilling of cancer cells. "Irrigating" means washing the surgical area with sterile water and sucking the water back up through a tube. As a result, surgeons vary as to how they irrigate. In this study, we will examine irrigation of the urethra. This is the part of the body that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. Fascial suturing. Surgeons believe that what happens to the urethra can affect the risk of incontinence. This is when a patient cannot control urine, and drips or leaks urine. One idea is that additional stitches ("sutures") to the connective tissue ("fascia") could be helpful, but this is not known for sure.

The goal of the study is to gain a better understanding of the molecular changes responsible for causing prostate cancer and that examination of tissue and blood samples will help in the development of improved screening and therapeutic approaches.

This is a prospective clinical trial examining the use of MRI to measure internal organ motion and any resulting changes in the target volume (shape and location) during a course of post-operative radiation therapy for prostate cancer. The goal is to better understand and characterize these physiologic variations so that they can be accounted for during the treatment planning process. The ultimate longer-term clinical goal here is to provide a form of adaptive radiation therapy in the future, such that if major changes are seen over an 8-week course of radiation therapy in our study. This may argue for hypofractionating those patients who are most likely to have major shifts over time.

The purpose of this study is to see if an intervention of antioxidants(vitamin E, selenium and lycopene) can change (reduce) prostate tumor size and alter certain markers that can affect tumor growth and prostate cancer aggressiveness.

Conformal dose escalated radiotherapy was adopted as the standard treatment technique at PMH for intermediate risk patients with localised disease in 1997. This technique provides a much smaller margin of error for treatment set-up and delivery than with conventional techniques. One way to ensure the accuracy of treatment delivery is to image the prostate position daily, prior to therapy, to allow for appropriate set-up corrections. To do so, imaging markers are implanted into the prostate under guided ultrasound (a standard procedure at PMH). However, there are disadvantages in using imaging markers which include added time to the treatment planning process, and an invasive procedure with a potential for discomfort, bleeding and infection. This study will investigate and compare X-ray volume imaging to the gold standard imaging markers.

A study for the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) in patients previously treated with chemotherapy.

Delivery of conformal radiation therapy following radical prostatectomy is limited by the inability to define the clinical target volume (CTV). This stems from a poor understanding of patterns of local recurrence and limitations of standard imaging techniques.Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a promising modality for imaging the prostatic bed following radical prostatectomy. MRI provides more detailed postoperative anatomy to guide CTV delineation, the ability to document local recurrence patterns, and a method to assess intrafraction prostatic bed motion and deformity to define appropriate planning target volume margins. The aim of this pilot study is to develop a technique for external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) following radical prostatectomy based on MRI-delineation of the CTV. Twenty patients will be enrolled in this pilot, development phase.

The purpose of this study is to better understand the genetic causes of cancer and the inherited tendency to develop cancer. To accomplish this, blood specimens and/or saliva samples and/or tumor and normal tissue blocks from patients and families of patients with cancer will be collected. Blood specimens will be frozen and stored for analysis at a later date. Tumor tissue and normal tissue will be stored for analysis at a later date. In order to perform this study, patients and members of their families will be asked to provide blood samples and/or saliva samples. Individuals will be asked to provide a history of cancer in their relatives at the time the blood sample is given. No relatives will be contacted before they have been asked by a family member if they wish to participate in this study. If they do wish to participate, the relatives should indicate this by returning the "Family Member Consent for Contact Form" After we receive this form, arrangements may be made for the family member to send in a blood and/or saliva sample or to come in person to provide the sample to us. Except for family history, no medical information provided by one member of a family will be discussed with other family members. At the end of this form, we will also ask for your permission to be contacted in the future to discuss information about your health, additional research with your samples and/or certain research findings possibly related to your sample.

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the safest dose of ZD4054 (Zibotentan)in men with prostate cancer

The purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with fulvestrant leads to a slowing of tumor progression in patients who have developed androgen-independent (AIPC) or hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) and who have a rising serum prostate specific antigen (PSA).