Doctor Lindsay Rosenwald has also proven to be an influential investor in the biotechnology industry. Lindsay Rosenwald continues to monitor the medical community and its efforts to cure major forms of cancer. Here, Lindsay Rosenwald answers questions about how prostate cancer research has progressed in the last decade.
Interviewing Experts: Thank you for taking time to talk with us.
Lindsay Rosenwald: I’m glad to be here.
Interviewing Experts: Is there any progress in the area of prostate cancer research?
Lindsay Rosenwald: There has been a great deal of progress in prostate cancer therapy over the last several years, which suggests even more potential in the near future.
Interviewing Experts: What has helped this progress?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Significant advances in chemotherapy, along with the use of robotic surgery are demonstrating a pronounced effect in cancer patient outcomes.
Interviewing Experts: What is targeted therapy?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Targeted therapy is a more recent form of cancer treatment that utilizes drugs or other substances in order to identify and then attack cancer cells.
Interviewing Experts: How does this affect the body?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Targeted therapy accomplishes this task while invoking little damage on the surrounding normal cells.
Interviewing Experts: Where does targeted therapy achieve its goal?
Lindsay Rosenwald: These therapies will attack the programming of these cancer cells, setting them apart from healthy, normal cells that are performing all their functions properly.
Interviewing Experts: How does targeted therapy work?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Each form of targeted therapy operates in a different manner, depending on its application and the particular patient.
Interviewing Experts: But all with the same goal?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Yes, all of them alter the way in which a cancer cell grows, repairs itself, divides or even interacts with other cells.
Interviewing Experts: What type of drugs is being developed?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Cabozantinib is a new drug that specifically targets the MET protein.
Interviewing Experts: What does this mean?
Lindsay Rosenwald: The MET protein will trigger tumor growth and eventually lead to the formation of blood vessels that lend nutrients to the tumor. Cabozantinib also has an effect on angiogenesis by targeting the VEGFR protein.
Interviewing Experts: What is angiogenesis?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessels forming from the already existing vessels.
Interviewing Experts: How does Cabozantinib work?
Lindsay Rosenwald: Cabozantinib has helped to prohibit tumor growth and alleviate pain in patients.
Interviewing Experts: Can Cabozantinib be used in all types of patients?
Lindsay Rosenwald: In early studies, this drug was found to make bone tumors get smaller or even go away on imaging scans in many men whose prostate cancer was no longer responding to hormones.
Interviewing Experts: How long does the effect last?
Lindsay Rosenwald: In most cases, the effect lasted about 6 months.
Interviewing Experts: That’s an encouraging sign.
Lindsay Rosenwald: It is. However, it’s not clear now if the drug will actually help men to live longer.
Lindsay Rosenwald is a co-founder of the firm Investment Partnership. Through Investment Partnership, Lindsay Rosenwald and his business partner invest funds into the healthcare space for the benefit of a variety of medical research projects.
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Like Lindsay Rosenwald said in this article, prostate cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence anymore! Although it sounds like there’s alot of progress to be made, it’s comforting to know that the medical community keeps trying different avenues in order to find better treatment for these patients. I wish my dad had gotten it…
My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2007. Thankfully due to early diagnosis he was able to beat it with chemotherapy and the help of some wonderful and caring doctors. For people facing this struggle in the future, I’m glad to hear that Lindsay Rosenwald is offering his assistance to researchers and medical developers. Every little bit helps.
I agree with Lindsay Rosenwald that prognosis for cancer patients is improved these days. But- committing time and money to research is crucial so that our kids and grandkids can avoid the pain of this challenging and often heartbreaking disease. It’s wonderful to hear about the strides being made every day though.