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Prostate Cancer Vaccine Wins OK

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Posted on Apr 30, 2010
Flickr / cancerdotsc

Nearly 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2009, and 27,000 men died of the disease, according to the FDA.

A new vaccine called Provenge has just been accepted by the FDA, making it the first to be approved by the agency for men fighting advanced prostate cancer. While Provenge is not a cure, it has shown promise in extending the lives of patients.

The treatment won’t come cheap, however, at $93,000 per patient. —JCL

The BBC:

A “vaccine” which harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight prostate cancer has been approved for use by US drug regulators.

Provenge—which is designed to be used in men with advanced disease—is the first of its kind to be accepted by the Food and Drug Administration.

Each dose has to be individually tailored and it is an expensive treatment at $93,000 per patient.

It will add to, rather than replace, existing treatments, said experts.

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By Molly, May 3, 2010 at 12:53 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

RAE, I’m guessing you have not faced death row and been diagnosed with a terminal illness? You cannot call someone with cancer ignorant and determine the price tag of one’s life. Whether this vaccine will advance their lives only 4 months longer and only help 2,000 patients at the current supply, it is still PROGRESSION: http://bit.ly/caQo9A. Speak for yourself.

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RAE's avatar

By RAE, May 1, 2010 at 9:06 am Link to this comment

Choosing to live a few weeks longer with a major illness which demands pretty much dawn to dusk attention of one kind or another is, in my opinion, self-inflicted CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT.

Who in their right mind would choose to EXIST for a few more weeks under these circumstances? Better the $93,000 be spent on seeking psychiatrict help to learn to accept that DEATH IS PART OF LIFE, UNAVOIDABLE AT ANY PRICE, and is NOTHING TO FEAR.

Better yet… donate the $93,000 to your favorite charity… then DIE. You’ve had your life… make room for others.

Good grief! How can anyone old enough to get terminal prostate cancer not have successfully dealt with the reality of their own death by that time?

I feel so sorry for those whose ignorance and fear of death is so profound they’d rather spend all their waking hours in pain and suffering, or worse, unconscious, attached to every life support system known to medical science, than to just say goodbye and LEAVE. Have these people lived their entire lives with their heads in the sand?

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By pygmy, May 1, 2010 at 8:49 am Link to this comment

further screwing of the public by “sickness” industry

Diet and lifestyle prevent prostate cancer for free. For advanced cancer?  I guess
that’s different, but this shouldn’t become standard treatment.  Vaccines are
largely a scam already.  Any mention of side effects?  Witness the swine flu
pandemic nonsense that fleeced taxpayers for BILLIONS.  Can’t even trust the
scientists anymore.  Witness Monsanto and GM technology.  A total fabrication,
doesn’t work at all as advertised - yet it is official government policy.  Because
corporate America says it’s SCIENCE.  Lie lie lie.  then cover it with Statistics and
doctored studies.  Please do some articles on bio-tech.

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By taikan, April 30, 2010 at 1:42 pm Link to this comment

According to the study that was conducted, men with prostate cancer that could not be treated with surgery, traditional chemotherapy or radiation and who were given this new drug lived approximately 4 to 4½ months longer than similarly situated men who were given a placebo.  That’s roughly $23,000 for each extra month of living (not counting any other medical care received during that time).  It will be interesting to see if this becomes a political issue because almost all of the men in the US with untreatable prostate cancer are over 65 and thus eligible for Medicare.

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By RAE, April 30, 2010 at 12:41 pm Link to this comment

Call me a cheapskate but for $93,000 I want a CURE. This “showing promise in extending the lives” is simply not good enough for that price.

This sounds like metaspeak for “we don’t guarantee this will do anything for your prostate cancer including extending your life. But give us the money so we can both test it to see.”

What a scam.

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