Phase I trial of docetaxel (D) plus samarium153 (Sm 153) in patients (pts) with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC)

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Background: Bone targeted approaches hold great promise for improving outcomes in HRPC. Docetaxel (D) and samarium 153 (Sm153 ) have individually demonstrated a clinical benefit and preclinical data strongly support biological synergism in HRPC. Preclinical data suggests that 24 hour after a dose of D, there is maximum G2M arrest. This results in the accumulation of cells in the most radiosensitive phase of the cell cycle. This phase I trial was designed to evaluate toxicity and preliminary efficacy of combined D and Sm153 administered sequentially in advanced HRPC. Methods: HRPC pts progressing after anti-androgen withdrawal; = 2 prior chemotherapy regimens; acceptable bone marrow, renal and hepatic function were eligible. Planned D treatment in 4 cohorts (N=3/cohort) includes: Cohort 1: D 50mg/m2 IV on days 1, 22, 91, and 112; cohort 2: D 75mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 22 followed by 50mg/m2 IV on days 91 and 112; cohort 3: D 75mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 22 followed by 75mg/m2 IV on days 91 and 112; cohort 4: D 75 mg/m2 IV on days 1, 22, 42, 91, 112, and 133. Sm 153 (1.0 mi/Kg) is administered IV days 2 and 92 of each cycle. Cycles are repeated Q 12 wks (max 2 cycles). The endpoint for this trial is dose limiting toxicity and maximal tolerated dose. Results: From 5/11/05 - 1/7/07 ten pts were enrolled. Median: age 69.5 yrs (range 58–76), ECOG performance status 1 (range 0–1), baseline PSA 76.65 ng/ml (range 9.6–1064 ng/ml ), prior hormonal manipulations 3 (range1–6). Three pts had prior taxotere and 3 pts had prior palliative RT. All had bone metastases and 2 also had soft tissue disease. Five pts completed 2 cycles of treatment as planned. Five pts had 1 cycle (one pt is on treatment, 3 pts had PD and 1 had prolonged grade 1 thrombocytopenia =3 wks). Nine of 10 pts had reversible grade 3 / 4 neutropenia (1 pt had reversible episode of neutropenia with fever). Seven of 7 symptomatic pts had improvement in pain. Four of 10 of pts had a 50 % decline in PSA level lasting = 4 weeks; no soft tissue disease responses. Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggest that Q 3 wk D and Q 3 month Sm153 may be administered simultaneously at full doses in extensively pretreated HRPC pts, with acceptable toxicity and significant activity. This study is supported by a grant from sanofi- aventis and Sm153 is provided by Cytogen.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Targeting of mutant hogg1 in mammalian mitochondria and nucleus: effect on cellular survival upon oxidative stress

Background

Oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA has been implicated as a causative factor in a wide variety of degenerative diseases, aging and cancer. The modified guanine, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (also known as 8-hydroxyguanine) is one of the major oxidized bases generated in DNA by reactive oxygen species and has gained most of the attention in recent years as a marker of oxidative DNA injury and its suspected role in the initiation of carcinogenesis. 8-hydroxyguanine is removed by hOgg1, a DNA glycosylase/AP lyase involved in the base excision repair pathway.

Methods

We over-expressed wild type and R229Q mutant hOGG1 in the nucleus and mitochondria of cells lacking mitochondrial hOGG1 expression through an expression vector containing nuclear and mitochondrial targeting sequence respectively. We used quantitative real time PCR to analyze mtDNA integrity after exposure to oxidative damaging agents, in cells transfected with or without mitochondrially-targeted mutant hogg1.

Result

Over-expression of wild type hOgg1 in both nucleus and mitochondria resulted in increased cellular survival when compared to vector or mutant over-expression of hOGG1. Interestingly, mitochondrially-targeted mutant hogg1 resulted in more cell death than nuclear targeted mutant hogg1 upon exposure of cells to oxidative damage. Additional we examined mitochondrial DNA integrity after oxidative damage exposure using real-time quantitative PCR. The presence of mutant hogg1 in the mitochondria resulted in reduced mitochondrial DNA integrity when compared to the wild type. Our work indicates that the R229Q hOGG1 mutation failed to protect cells from oxidative damage and that such mutations in cancer may be more detrimental to cellular survival when present in the mitochondria than in the nucleus.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that deficiencies in hOGG1, especially in the mitochondria may lead to reduced mitochondrial DNA integrity, consequently resulting in decreased cell viability.

A real-time image-guided intraoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy system

PURPOSE

To develop a real-time, image-guided intraoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy system.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The surface applicator, a catheter array on a 1-mm-thick soft and semitransparent silicone rubber sheet, was directly sutured on the surgical bed. A three-dimensional video camera was then used to instantly capture images of the catheters and the surgical surface. Tracing the catheters on the images allowed us to automatically determine the dwell source positions. Dwell times in the dwell positions were optimized to minimize the dose variation and deviation from the treatment prescription. A dose-texture plot was created to quantify the dose distribution.

RESULTS

Treatment planning time was reduced from hours to a few minutes. Phantom tests have shown that the new source localization is accurate with sigma<1.5 mm. All hot spots and cold spots had been eliminated after the dwell-time optimization.

CONCLUSIONS

This real-time, image-guided planning system can provide optimal image-guided intraoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy with geometric and dosimetric improvements and a short planning time.

Long-term effects of androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in men and has an increasing incidence. In 1999, 37 000 men died from PCa in the USA. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with GnRH agonists is frequently employed in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic PCa by inducing medical castration, rendering these men hypogonadal. Because hypogonadism in men is associated with a wide range of complications, we attempted to determine the effects of long-term ADT in men with PCa.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study at a tertiary care centre to determine the effect of ADT on lean body mass (LBM), muscle strength, bone mineral density (BMD), sexual function, and quality of life (QOL) in men with PCa. Three groups of men were enrolled: (1) 20 men with PCa who were undergoing medical castration with GnRH agonists for at least 12 months prior to the onset of the study (ADT group); (2) 18 age-matched men with nonmetastatic PCa who were post prostatectomy and/or radiotherapy but had not yet undergone ADT (non-ADT group); and (3) 20 age-matched normal men who were healthy and ambulatory (control group).

RESULTS

Men on ADT had castrate levels of serum total testosterone (P < 0.0001), free testosterone (P < 0.0001) and oestradiol (P < 0.0001), which were significantly lower than in the other groups. Total body (P = 0.03) and lumbar spine (P < 0.0001) BMD was significantly lower in patients on ADT compared to other groups and was associated with higher levels of urinary N-telopeptide (P = 0.02). The ADT group had higher fat mass compared to the other groups (P = 0.0001) and significantly reduced upper body strength (P = 0.001) when compared to non-ADT patients. The ADT group had lower overall scores on Watt's Sexual Function Questionnaire compared to other groups (P = 0.0001), in particular a decrease in desire, arousal and frequency of spontaneous early morning erections. The ADT group also had lower overall QOL scores, resulting in significant limitation of physical function (P = 0.001), role limitation (P = 0.02) and perception of physical health (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that osteoporosis, unfavourable body composition, sexual dysfunction and reduced quality of life are seen in patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy for at least 12 months. Longitudinal studies in this patient population will shed further light on the timing of the development and the extent of these complications. Meanwhile, this information will assist both physicians and patients with prostate cancer to make informed decisions regarding androgen deprivation therapy.

CV706, a prostate cancer-specific adenovirus variant, in combination with radiotherapy produces synergistic antitumor efficacy without increasing toxicity

Radiation is an effective means of treating localized prostate cancer. However, up to 40% of men with certain risk factors will develop biochemical failure 5 years after radiotherapy. CV706, a prostate cell-specific adenovirus variant, is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of recurrent organ-confined prostate cancer. We demonstrated previously that a single administration of CV706 at 5 x 10(8) particles/mm3 of tumor eliminated established tumors within 6 weeks in nude mouse xenografts (Rodriguez et al., Cancer Res. 57: 2559-2563, 1997). We now demonstrate that CV706-mediated cytotoxicity is synergistic with radiation. In vitro, addition of radiation to CV706 resulted in a synergistic increase of cytotoxicity toward the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP and a significant increase of virus burst size, with no reduction in specificity of CV706-based cytopathogenicity for prostate cancer cells. In vivo, prostate-specific antigen (+) LNCaP xenografts of human prostate cancer were treated with CV706 (1 x 10(7) particles/mm3 of tumor), 10 Gy of single fraction local tumor radiation, or both. Tumor volumes of the group treated with CV706 or radiation was 97% or 120% of baseline 6 weeks after treatment. However, when the same dose of CV706 was followed 24 h later with the same dose of radiation, the tumor volume dropped to 4% of baseline at this time point and produced antitumor activity that was 6.7-fold greater than a predicted additive effect of CV706 and radiation. Histological analyses of tumors revealed that, compared with CV706 or radiation alone, combination treatment with two agents increased necrosis by 180% and 690%, apoptosis by 330% and 880%, and decreased blood vessel number by 1290% and 600%, respectively. Importantly, no increase in toxicity was observed after combined treatment when compared with CV706 or radiation alone. These data demonstrate that CV706 enhances the in vivo radioresponse of prostate tumors and support the clinical development of CV706 as a neoadjuvant agent with radiation for localized prostate cancer.

A dose texture plot in a moving frame as a new planning tool for single-plane implants in HDR brachytherapy

A dose-texture plot is a print of dose values on the points of interest in a super-plane. The super-plane is a moving frame across the treatment depth-surface(s) with a fixed distance from surgical bed. The moving frame has an axis tangent to the midline of two neighboring catheters and the other axis perpendicular to the midline. By setting the scales of the two axes in units of the dwell step-size and the local distance between the two catheters, we can easily locate the basal-dose points with pairs of integers. A dose-texture plot on the basal-dose points in the super-plane provides the dose and location information in one picture. Such a picture can concisely represent the dose distribution in the treatment depth and allows us to quickly and quantitatively evaluate the effect of the source-dwell times and positions. This treatment-planning-evaluation tool has been used for development of an iteration optimization algorithm. The results of the iteration optimization on clinical cases demonstrated significant improvements over the optimization algorithms used in a commercial planning system.