New drugs in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
January 16th, 2010 Posted in hormone therapyDespite that greater knowledge of prostate cancer biology has led to the isolation of many new and promising targets, treatment of metastatic prostate cancer is still challenging.
According to a new review at Institut Gustave-Roussy,Villejuif, France. new agents targeting these molecules are currently under development in large randomized phase III trials, to improve overall survival and the quality of life of patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostatic cancer (CRPC).
Cytotoxic chemotherapy (docetaxel-based chemotherapy) demonstrated clinical benefit on overall survival, but could be improved.
Drugs targeting directly or not the androgen receptor such as abiraterone or new specific peripheral anti-androgens (MDV3100) are very promising.
Bone targeted therapies (endothelin1 receptor A inhibitor, RANK ligant, metabolic irradiation) are also very promising and are in development in large phase III trials.
Antiangiogenic therapies could also be effective in CRPC.
Autologous vaccin against prostatic acid phosphatase seems to prolong overall survival and other vaccin and immunotherapy strategies are in development (anti-CTLA4 antibody).
A recent analogue of thalidomide, probably more efficient, lenalidomide is also in development.