)
In a nutshell
The present study assessed the efficiency of a drug named Denosumab in delaying the spread of prostate cancer to the bone in men with resistant prostate cancer (not responding to hormone therapy and surgery). The results show that the drug tested delayed bone involvement by few months.
Some background
Bone metastases are relatively common in men whose prostate cancer has spread outside the prostate gland and reached the blood system. Denosumab is a drug that targets a protein called RANKL whose role is to control the activity of osteoclasts (cells that break down bone and promote cancer), thereby protect bones from erosion and prevent cancer from spreading to bones.
Methods & findings
This clinical trial, conducted at multiple centers across the world, included 1432 patients with hormone- or surgery-resistant prostate cancer. Men were assigned either Denosumab (120 mg) or dummy/inactive drug (placebo). Denosumab treatment delayed the spread of cancer to the bone by 4.2 months compared to placebo. Occurrence of side-effects was similar in both groups. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (an uncommon but serious condition involving death of bone in the jaw due to loss of blood supply) occurred in 33 patients who consumed Denosumab; few (12) patients also suffered from low calcium levels in the blood.
The bottom line
To conclude, the results of the study favored Denosumab, which delayed the occurrence of cancer spread to bones by few months, representing another treatment opportunity for patients with hormone- and surgery-resistant prostate cancer.
The fine print
The present study did not assess the long-term survival of patients treated with Denosumab. Also, it should be noted that Denosumab caused a serious side-effect involving death of bone in the jaw in 5% of the study patients.
Published By :
The Lancet
Date :
Jan 07, 2012
