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Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of powerful toxic drugs to attack cancer cells and are generally reserved for patients with advanced cases of cancer that have become resistant to hormone therapy.
Chemotherapy drugs are used to shrink or slow the growth of tumors, and to find and kill cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. Other drugs are used to manage symptoms of advanced prostate cancer and alleviate pain.
It was previously thought chemotherapy would not work for prostate cancer. Many early chemotherapy drugs identify cancer cells through their fast rate of growth, and prostate cancer cells grow slowly compared to most cancers. Development of chemotherapy drugs for prostate cancer is lagging behind other forms of cancer. New research is also looking at drugs and treatments for earlier intervention.
The new standard treatment is Taxotere (docetaxel), a drug derived from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree. Taxotere is the only chemotherapy approved for treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Some drugs have synergistic qualities, that is, they work better when used together. Some drugs, called chemo-sensitizers, help to make cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy drugs.
Some chemotherapy involves harsh side effects and requires careful dosage, as the drugs kill healthy cells too. Side effects can include nausea, loss of appetite, hair loss, tiredness, infection and more, but most side effects will disappear when the treatment is stopped.
Participating in a clinical trial is a way to gain access to promising drugs yet to be approved by the FDA. Hundreds of research projects are currently investigating the potential of new drugs and new combinations of drugs.
Research News
The following information was compiled from previously published study results and news stories. This page was last updated on 07.01.2008
Trial Shows Circulating Tumor Cells Can Predict Patient Response to Chemotherapy
The number of tumor cells circulating in the bloodstream of patients with metastatic, hormone-resistant, prostate cancer can predict how they will do with chemotherapy, according to results of an international trial. The findings, if backed by larger studies, could have important implications for designing personalized treatments for this very dangerous type of prostate cancer, the researchers say.
Platinum-based Drugs
The U.S. FDA has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for satraplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapy drug for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The FDA granted GPC Biotech a priority review, meaning it will review the application in six months rather than the standard ten. GPC expects a decision in August. Companies file a NDA only after results from all three phases of clinical trials show a drug to be safe and effective.
In Phase III studies, Satraplatin improved progression-free survival among men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Patients were treated with satraplatin plus prednisone (a steroid) or placebo plus prednisone. Cancer progression was reduced by 40 percent among patients treated with satraplatin compared to placebo. Progression-free survival was significantly improved among patients treated with satraplatin.
Copper Drug Shows Promise in Fighting Cancer
A copper-based antibiotic typically prescribed for Alzheimer's patients could be effective in eventually treating certain types of cancers, according to researchers from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. The drug Clioquinol (CQ) appears to have an anti-tumor effect in mice bearing human prostate cancer cells.
Researchers turned to the copper-binding compound CQ after discovering that prostate, breast, brain, colon and lung tumor tissue often have a higher level of copper than normal tissue. This led the team to investigate whether cancers with high levels of copper can lead to targeted treatment. Researchers found that after binding CQ to the copper in prostate tumor tissue, the drug induces cell death in human prostate cancer cells.
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