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AACR: Suramin/Adriamycin Appears Active In Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer By Ed Susman Special to DG News SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- April 8, 2002 -- The combination of suramin and adriamycin showed synergistic effects in advanced cancer patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer, a Phase I study shows. Guangzhi Qu, MD, a fellow in oncology at the Mayor Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, said that four of 16 patients with advanced prostate cancer had partial responses to the treatment-meaning that prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels dropped by at least 50 percent or that tumors decreased in size by 50 percent. "We have one person in this study who had a PSA in excess of 20,000. That has now been decreased to around 20 and has remained at that level for four years," Dr. Qu said. That patient was the only long-term survivor in the early study. He underwent four, four-week cycles of treatment, and has been off treatment since, Dr. Qu said. Dr. Qu presented these findings here yesterday at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting. The 24 patients who received the dose-escalating regimen of adriamycin while receiving a dose-lowering schedule of suramin had various types of advanced cancer, but the only partial responses seen were in those patients with prostate cancer. Another six patients had stable disease for at least four months. The patients in the study had cancers that had grown resistant to standard chemotherapy and their disease was progressing. Dr. Qu said the aim of the study was to see if suramin could be used to overcome that resistance, in effect, softening up the cancer so that adriamycin could do the "heavy lifting" of destroying cancer cells. Patients were started on 1000 mg/mē intravenous dose of suramin, which was quickly lowered because the drug has a half-life of about 45 days. Patients were entered into the study at various doses of adriamycin. Adriamycin was dosed a 10 mg for the first patients in the study, and was increased to 60 mg for the last patients entered into the study. Dr. Qu said a maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Overall the regimen was well tolerated, he said. The responses seen in prostate cancer patients has led the researchers to plan a Phase II study focusing on patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer. The studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version