Prostate Cancer

PSA velocity, not a man's absolute PSA level, is a better predictor of prostate cancer risk, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The findings suggest that screening should begin at age 40, not 50.

Results from Oncolytics Biotech's phase I trial of Reolysin, its oncolytic reovirus, show stable disease in 7 of 32 patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists. Dr. Timothy Yap of The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK, presented the study at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics

An innovative cancer agent called PHA-739358, which inhibits one of the aurora proteins, has shown indications of potential benefit in 7 of 36 patients (19.4%) with advanced or metastatic solid tumors who participated in a phase I dosing and toxicity study, Dutch researchers reported at the EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics

In a study of high-risk prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, more than 6 months of androgen deprivation therapy was associated with higher mortality than shorter durations, Cliff Robinson, MD, reported at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology

Metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer has proven largely resistant to cytotoxic therapy. Since 2004, docetaxel (Taxotere)/prednisone has become the standard chemotherapy used to treat advanced hormone-resistant prostate cancer. However, the survival advantage is modest and a significant number of patients do not respond to chemotherapy. It is hoped that an increased understanding of the mechanisms underlying the progression of prostate cancer will lead to new treatment modalities. With the growing number of biologic and targeted agents under development, the potential armamentarium of prostate cancer treatments is steadily growing. However, none of the new treatment modalities has yet been shown to be more effective than standard treatments. This article will provide an overview of targeted or innovative therapies in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Results from a Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) study show that radiotherapy given to men with locally advanced prostate cancer after their prostate gland is removed does not significantly reduce the risk of subsequent cancer spread to distant sites but significantly lowers the risk of the cancer recurrence compared to men who do not receive radiation.

Trials in the past decade offer the first evidence that some of the most prevalent cancers in the population are preventable, and a host of ongoing trials are testing new prevention strategies, Peter Greenwald, MD, DrPH, director of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Prevention, said at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG).

Patients withlocally advanced prostate cancer treatedwith radiotherapy and adjuvant hormonaltherapy gain as much as 12%longer progression-free survival (PFS),compared with those given radiotherapyalone, according to a large study of pooleddata reported at the 31st Congress of theEuropean Society for Medical Oncology.

a brief overview of the dosing and administration guidelines for the various targeted therapy agents discussed in this supplement to the ONCOLOGY Nurse Edition. Please consult the manufacturer's package insert for more information.

Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc.'s Calypso 4D Localization System has been granted 510(k) clearance by the FDA to locate the tumor target during treatment setup and monitor organ motion continuously during radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients, without adding ionizing radiation.

GPC Biotech AG and Pharmion Corporation have announced positive results for the companies' oral platinum agent satraplatin in an interim analysis of the double-blind, randomized phase III registration trial.

Methylphenidate (Ritalin) effectively reduces fatigue in men with prostate cancer; however, careful monitoring is essential because the psychostimulant can also elevate blood pressure and pulse rates

Astudy conducted by researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and University of South Carolina shows that the cancer rate among blacks living in South Carolina is nearly twice as great as it is for whites in the state.

Clinical trials may be running out of volunteers, according to a report at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2006 meeting

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Obesity is now linked with numerous health conditions, including many oncologic diagnoses. Its association with prostate cancer, the most prevalent cancer in men, has also been investigated, with studies suggesting a direct relationship between increasing obesity and prostate cancer mortality. Outcomes data for specific interventions in obese patients with prostate cancer have only recently begun to emerge. Surgery, while feasible even in the very obese, may result in less than optimal cancer control rates. Brachytherapy data are emerging, and are promising. No outcomes data are available for the use of external-beam radiation in obese patients. Long-term data for external-beam radiation, as well as for surgery and brachytherapy, are required to determine the most appropriate treatment for obese patients with prostate cancer. These data, coupled with a more thorough understanding of the biochemical relationship between obesity and prostate cancer, will be necessary to make optimal management decisions for obese patients with prostate cancer in the future.

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Obesity is now linked with numerous health conditions, including many oncologic diagnoses. Its association with prostate cancer, the most prevalent cancer in men, has also been investigated, with studies suggesting a direct relationship between increasing obesity and prostate cancer mortality. Outcomes data for specific interventions in obese patients with prostate cancer have only recently begun to emerge. Surgery, while feasible even in the very obese, may result in less than optimal cancer control rates. Brachytherapy data are emerging, and are promising. No outcomes data are available for the use of external-beam radiation in obese patients. Long-term data for external-beam radiation, as well as for surgery and brachytherapy, are required to determine the most appropriate treatment for obese patients with prostate cancer. These data, coupled with a more thorough understanding of the biochemical relationship between obesity and prostate cancer, will be necessary to make optimal management decisions for obese patients with prostate cancer in the future.

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Obesity is now linked with numerous health conditions, including many oncologic diagnoses. Its association with prostate cancer, the most prevalent cancer in men, has also been investigated, with studies suggesting a direct relationship between increasing obesity and prostate cancer mortality. Outcomes data for specific interventions in obese patients with prostate cancer have only recently begun to emerge. Surgery, while feasible even in the very obese, may result in less than optimal cancer control rates. Brachytherapy data are emerging, and are promising. No outcomes data are available for the use of external-beam radiation in obese patients. Long-term data for external-beam radiation, as well as for surgery and brachytherapy, are required to determine the most appropriate treatment for obese patients with prostate cancer. These data, coupled with a more thorough understanding of the biochemical relationship between obesity and prostate cancer, will be necessary to make optimal management decisions for obese patients with prostate cancer in the future.

More than half of men receiving high-dose-rate brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer report some side effects that in some cases persist for up to 16 years

The first large clinical trial to prospectively evaluate intermittent chemotherapy for androgen-independent prostate cancer showed that a minority of patients can be given chemotherapy "holidays" of clinically meaningful duration.

PSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/mL have a significant positive predictive value (PPV) for finding prostate cancer in men undergoing extended biopsies, according to results of a study

Black men are more likely than white men to have a prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy, Hadley M. Wood, MD, reported at the 2006 Prostate Cancer Symposium (abstract 138).

In some men with clinically localized prostate cancer, prostatectomy is associated with a survival advantage, according to results of two long-term studies presented at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association.

In patients with T1c prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy, a PSA level of 2.6 to 4.0 ng/mL may be associated with more favorable pathology than a score of 4.1 to 6.0 ng/mL

In this review, we describe how clinical investigators addressed some of the challenges in prostate cancer chemotherapy trials 20 years ago, and we indicate what has evolved in the field since that time. We consider the impact that prostate-specific antigen measurement had in this setting, evolving clinical paradigms, multidisciplinary programs, and the current armamentarium of cancer treatment, including targeted molecular therapy, for patients with hormone-refractory disease.

In this review, we describe how clinical investigators addressed some of the challenges in prostate cancer chemotherapy trials 20 years ago, and we indicate what has evolved in the field since that time. We consider the impact that prostate-specific antigen measurement had in this setting, evolving clinical paradigms, multidisciplinary programs, and the current armamentarium of cancer treatment, including targeted molecular therapy, for patients with hormone-refractory disease.