The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium was held from Feb. 2 to 4 in San Francisco and attracted approximately 2,500 participants from around the world. The conference highlighted recent advances in the diagnosis, prevention, and management of genitourinary cancers, including prostate, kidney, bladder, and testicular cancers, as well as less common cancers such as those of the penis, ureters, and other urinary organs.
In one study, Ronald Chen, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and colleagues found that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) reduced cancer recurrence rates and adverse events better than conventional conformal radiation.
"We looked at prostate cancer patients treated between 2002 and 2007 in the Medicare population with different types of radiation. We evaluated three types of radiation — older conformal radiation, IMRT, and proton radiation," Chen said. "We found that treatment with IMRT had better results in terms of fewer side effects and better cancer control as compared with the older conformal radiation. We also found no additional benefit with proton radiation as compared with IMRT. Therefore, it remains appropriate to use IMRT as the standard form of radiation for the treatment of prostate cancer."
In the phase III AXIS study, Brian I. Rini, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, and colleagues found that increasing the dose of axitinib as tolerated optimizes clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
"We evaluated data from the phase III AXIS study looking axitinib dose titration on clinical outcome. The reason we performed this assessment is because it appears that standard dosing (5 mg BID) is resulting in not enough drug in the blood stream of some patients. Approximately 30 percent of patients are actually under dosed. In the AXIS study, if patients were able to tolerate the standard dose of axitinib, the dose was escalated as tolerated," Rini said. "Individuals metabolize drugs differently, and with current standard dosing, some patients are not reaching adequate dosing. Dose titration of axitinib, therefore, allows those patients who don’t achieve adequate drug levels at 5 mg BID to achieve therapeutic levels, which has been shown to lead to better outcome."
Several authors disclosed financial relationships with Pfizer, which manufactures axitinib.
In another study, Jay P. Ciezki, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues found that external beam radiation was associated with the highest cost and toxicity over the long term (more than five years) as compared to other prostate cancer treatment modalities.
"We found that external beam radiation was associated with the most serious side effects as compared to other treatment modalities over the long term. We also found that the cost of surgery and therapy per patient per year was highest for external beam radiation. External beam radiation was associated with more than twice [the cost] per year than any other modality," Ciezki said. "It is important that physicians inform patients of the potentially longer-term side effects, especially since most patients with prostate cancer survive longer than five years and will have to deal with the adverse effects of treatment over the longer term."
ASCO: Genes, Pathways Involved in Exercise/Prostate CA-Link ID’d
FRIDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) — Candidate genes and in vivo pathways that are upregulated in men with prostate cancer who engage in at least three hours per week of vigorous physical activity have been identified, according to a study presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, held from Feb. 2 to 4 in San Francisco.
Abstract No. 189
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ASCO: Radium-223 Promising for Prostate Cancer Bone Mets
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) — Radium-223 chloride (Ra-223) improves overall survival (OS) for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) bone metastases; and MDV3100 improves OS for men with CRPC who have progressed following docetaxel-based chemotherapy, according to two phase III studies presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, held from Feb. 2 to 4 in San Francisco.
Abstract – Sartor
Abstract – Scher
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