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May 18, 2002 |
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n Lung n Breast n General n Prostate n Leukemia n Lymphoma n Colon n News/Issues |
Drug shows prolonged survival for prostate cancer patients ORLANDO -- May 18, 2002 (Cancer Digest) -- A study shows that treatment with a new drug that targets the protein prostate cancer cells produce to allow them to spread to other parts of the body appears to increase survival of men in advanced stages of the disease. The new drug, called atrasentan (ABT-627), is the first of a new class of anti-cancer drugs that block the receptor for a protein called edothelin, which is normally produced in the body, but is overproduced by prostate cancer cells to stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells. The research team co-led by Dr. Joel Nelson, professor and chairman of urology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, presented the study results of the early-stage clinical trial at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting that just concluded in Orlando, Fl. this week. "Although this study was not designed to assess survival, we are optimistic about the potential survival advantage demonstrated with atrasentan in this trial," Nelson said in a press release. "These data further substantiate the potential clinical benefit of atrasentan for men with advanced prostate cancer. We look forward to further understanding the potential for atrasentan based on ongoing Phase III (larger) trials." The study involved 288 patients with prostate cancer that had spread beyond the prostate gland (metastasized) and did not respond to hormone therapy. The men were randomly assigned to receive an oral, once-daily dose of atrasentan, or placebo together with standard of care. In 244 of the patients who could be evaluated as of June 2001, those in the atrasentan group had survived an average of 583 days compared to 500 days for the placebo group. Developed by Abbott Laboratories, atrasentan belongs to a class of drugs called endothelin receptor antagonists. The drug blocks the activity of endothelin, a protein produced in the body. Prostate cancer cells produce high levels of endothelin to stimulate growth and spread of cancer cells. There are two endothelin receptors, ET-A and ET-B. The ET-A receptor appears to be important in prostate cancer progression and atrasentan is highly selective for ET-A. Atrasentan is the first endothelin antagonist to be investigated for the treatment of cancer. It is currently being studied in two large clinical trials comparing the drug with standard treatments for patients with advanced prostate cancer. It has been granted "fast track" designation for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Phase II studies in earlier stages of prostate cancer and in combination with other agents are also underway. For more information about the atrasentan trials, please call 1-86-ONCOLOGY or visit www.abbott.com. |
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