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Vitamin D boosts response when added to chemotherapy
Source: (cancerfacts.com)
Friday, January 03, 2003
PORTLAND, Ore. – Jan. 3, 2003 -- The addition of high-dose vitamin D to weekly chemotherapy treatments appears to improve treatment response in men with hormone-independent prostate cancer according to a new study.
Data from the small, early stage clinical trial suggest the combination of docetaxel (Taxotere®) and calcitriol (vitamin D) is as much as twice as effective as the use of docetaxel alone, as measured by prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D. The results were so promising that a randomized comparison trial has been launched at 15 sites throughout the United States.
The research team led by Dr. Tomasz Beer an oncologist at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Cancer Institute in Portland, Ore., also found that the addition of calcitriol did not compromise safety of the regimen. The team published its results in the Jan. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"We're excited by these promising results, especially since there is no acceptable standard treatment for this type of prostate cancer," Beer said in a press release.
In the study, 31 of 37 patients (81 percent), who were treated with the combination regimen cut their PSA levels by more than half, and 59 percent achieved a confirmed PSA reduction of greater than 75 percent. Studies of docetaxel alone have reported a 42 percent reduction in PSA levels. PSA is a substance produced by prostate cells, and a high PSA level may indicate the presence of cancer. In patients with advanced prostate cancer, PSA correlates with the amount of cancer in the body.
In addition to PSA response, eight of 15 men in the study with measurable disease responded with significant reductions of their tumors.
"Based on this data we've opened a much larger study nationwide that should tell us whether these preliminary findings continue to hold true in larger patient populations," said Beer.
Patients in the study received oral calcitriol on the first day of the treatment cycle, followed by an infusion of docetaxel the next day. The treatment was repeated weekly for six weeks of an eight-week cycle until there was evidence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, or until the patient requested to be withdrawn from the study. Calcitriol is not the same as over-the-counter vitamin D, which could be harmful if taken in large doses.
Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2002 approximately 189,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and about 32,200 died as a result of the disease. Overall, roughly one in six American men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime. If detected early, however, treatment can be highly effective.
Copyright © 2001, 2002 NexCura, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of cancerfacts.com content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of NexCura. NexCura and cancerfacts.com are trademarks of NexCura, Inc. or its affiliates. Copyright © 2001, 2002. This information is for educational purposes only.
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