THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

The following report gives core information on a second group of 15 papers that are being formally presented at ASCO. Again, we have highlighted the names of the authors and the titles of the papers that look to be of particular interest:

• Hudes et al. (“A Phase I study of CNTO328, an anti-interleukin [IL]-6 monoclonal antibody combined with docetaxel in subjects with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [CRPC]“) will provide an updated report on results of their early stage study of CNTO328 in treatment of CRCP.
• Small et al. (“Ixabepilone, mitoxantrone, and prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer refractory to docetaxel-based therapy: A phase II study of the DOD Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium“) will update data on a Phase II clinical trial of ixabepilone + mitoxantrone + prednisone as second line chemotherapy for patients who have stopped responding to docetaxel.
• Tantalov et al. (“Gene-based prediction of PSA recurrence for clinically localized prostate cancer patients”) have developed a combination gene- and clinical data-based nomogram that they claim is more accurate that the Kattan nomogram for prediction of biochemical recurrence after first-line treatment of organ-confined disease.
• Rademacher et al. (“Five-year relapse-free survival and predictors of relapse following preoperative docetaxel and mitoxantrone for high-risk localized prostate cancer“) have reported data from a small series of high-risk patients treated with docetaxel and mitoxantrone prior to surgery.
• Crawford and Moul (“Use of PSA threshold to identify an increased 4-year risk of a prostate cancer diagnosis in U.S. men“) have shown that men with PSA values of 1.5 to 4 ng/ml are at a significantly increased risk for developing future prostate cancer compared to those with a PSA value below the 1.5 threshold.
• Ross et al. (“Sensitivity and specificity of a whole-blood RNA transcript-based diagnostic test for the diagnosis of prostate cancer [CaP] compared with prostate-specific antigen [PSA] alone”) have demonstrated the potential of specific whole blood RNA transcript levels to assess abnormal gene expression associated with prostate cancer.
• Winkfield et al. (“Race and survival following brachytherapy-based treatment for men with localized or locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the prostate“) have shown that men of African-American or Hispanic race have a higher risk of mortality that white men following brachytherapy-based treatment for localized or locally advanced prostate cancer
• Lin et al. (“A randomized, Phase II study of ATN-224 in patients with biochemically relapsed, hormone-naive prostate cancer: A DOD/PCF Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium trial”) have shown that ATN-224 may have biologic activity in men with androgen-dependent prostate cancer at low doses, but the implications of these data are unclear at this time.
• King et al. (“Survival gains needed to justify the side effects of treatment for localized prostate cancer”) have calculated survival benefits needed to justify selected treatments for localized prostate cancer compared to active surveillance.
• Nobes et al. (“Use of metformin and lifestyle intervention to prevent ADT-related metabolic syndrome in prostate cancer”) have evaluated the impact of metformin and lifestyle changes on men receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), showing potentially beneficial effects in a pilot study.
• McHugh et al. (“MER-101-03, a multicenter, phase II study to compare MER-101 20 mg tablets to intravenous zoledronic acid 4 mg in prostate cancer patients”) have shown that MER-101 (Orazol) appears to be at least as effective and safe as zoledronic acid in its impact on a set of well-defined disease markers.
• Kantoff et al. (“Overall survival [OS] analysis of a phase II randomized controlled trial [RCT] of a poxviral-based PSA targeted immunotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [mCRPC]“) have demonstrated that PROSTVAC-VF was associated with an 8.5-month improvement in median OS in men with mCRPC compared to a placebo in a randomized Phase II trial.
• Araujo et al. (“Dasatinib and docetaxel combination treatment for patients with castration-resistant progressive prostate cancer: A phase I/II study [CA180086]“) have demonstrated that the combination of dasatinib + docetaxel is safe, with manageable toxicities; these data serve as the basis for an ongoing phase III study of this combination in CRPC.
• Schreiber et al. (“Radical prostatectomy in clinically localized prostate cancer — the risk of extraprostatic spread by NCCN risk group and its implications for adjuvant therapy: an analysis of 23,988 patients”) have analyzed the probability of extraprostatic disease following radical prostatectomy based on pre-surgical data, and the potential need for adjuvant radiation therapy.
• Antonarakis et al. (“The natural history of metastatic progression in men with PSA-recurrent prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy: 25-year follow-up”) report that PSA doubling time, Gleason score, and time to PSA progression are strong independent predictors of metastasis-free survival in men with PSA-recurrent prostate cancer.