Researchers from the National Cancer Institute have reported that the combination of Avastin® (bevacizumab), Thalomid® (thalidomide), Taxotere® (docetaxel), and prednisone is a highly effective with manageable toxicities in men with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). The details of this study were published early online on March 22, 2010 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1

Taxotere is the single most effective agent for the palliative treatment of HRPC. However, most patients ultimately fail to respond. Researchers from Italy have previously reported that Avastin plus Taxotere may have activity in patients with HRPC who had previously been treated with Taxotere. There have been several studies of Thalomid alone or with steroids for the treatment of HRPC with generally unremarkable results.

The authors of the current study stated: “We hypothesized that the combination of docetaxel plus these antiangiogenic drugs with different targets would have substantial clinical activity.” They tested the combination of Avastin, Thalomid, Taxotere, and prednisone in a mouse model and found significant activity. In a clinical trial, they observed PSA declines of 50% or more in 90% of men with HRPC. The median time to disease progression was 18 months, and overall survival was 28 months. They suggested that this therapy resulted in a doubling of survival time.

Comments: These are very promising results that will require further clinical trials for confirmation.

Reference:

1 Ning Y-M, Gulley JL, Arien PM, et al. Phase II trial of bevacizumab, thalidomide, docetaxel, and prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology [early online publication]. March 22, 2010.