research highlights

ChemotheRapy Satraplatin delays progression in

Prostate cancer is the second most versus predisone alone demonstrated as myelosuppression, and gastrointestinal common cancer in men worldwide. a significant progression-free survival disorders were more frequent with the FDa approved in 2004 as advantage for the satraplatin-treated satraplatin. these results suggset activity first-line treatment for men with castrate- patients. a multinational, randomized, in patients with CrPC who experience refractory prostate cancer (CrPC) and placebo-controlled, phase iii trial was progression after initial . this is now the standard treatment for initiated to determine the efficacy and the researchers conclude that “orally such patients. Patients with metastatic tolerability of satraplatin in men with administered satraplatin was well tolerated disease, however, eventually discontinue metastatic CrPC who had previously had in patients with advanced CrPC, with docetaxel treatment because of disease disease progression after chemotherapy. in beneficial effects on disease progression progression or toxic effects. it is therefore total, 950 patients were randomly assigned and pain. satraplatin chemotherapy important to identify effective and to receive 80 mg/m2 satraplatin orally once may potentially address an unmet need well-tolerated treatments for patients daily and 5 mg predisone twice daily or the in patients with CrPC whose disease with CrPC, whose experience disease same prednisone regimen alone. progressed after initial chemotherapy”. progression after chemotherapy, as there was a 33% reduction in the risk the authors plan to evaluate the utility appropriate second-line therapy is an of progression or death with satraplatin of biomarkers that could be useful in important unmet medical need. compared with placebo (hazard identifying the subgroup(s) of patients that satraplatin is a novel oral ratio 0.67; 95% Ci 0.57–0.77). the are most likely to benefit from satraplatin. compound that has demonstrated overall survival was similar in the two Lisa Hutchinson preclinical activity in prostate cancer cell treatment arms. Compared with the lines that are resistant to , placebo arm, satraplatin significantly Original article Sternberg, C. N. et al. Multinational, and . in a phase ii trial, reduced the time to pain progression double-blind, phase III study of prednisone and either satraplatin was shown to have activity (hazard ratio 0.64; 95% Ci 0.51–0.79). satraplatin or placebo in patients with castrate-refractory in CrPC patients, and a randomized satraplatin was generally well tolerated, prostate cancer progressing after prior chemotherapy: The SPARC Trial. J. Clin. Oncol. 27, 5431–5438 (2009) phase iii trial of satraplatin plus predisone although hematologic toxic effects, such

nature reviews | URology volume 7 | FeBruarY 2010 | 59 © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved