Vitamin D & prostate cancer
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Researchers planning Phase III trial on high-dose vitamin D as adjunct to chemotherapy agent docetaxel for treatment of advanced stage prostate cancer. In Phase II investigation, Tomasz Beer, MD, Oregon Health & Science University, et al., found 30 of 37 (81%) hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients treated with .5 mcg calcitriol (active form of vitamin D) plus docetaxel for six weeks saw 50% reduction in prostate-specific antigen levels; eight of 15 men with measurable disease experienced significant reduction in tumor size. In earlier trials testing only docetaxel, approximately 42% of patients had the same PSA response, Beer et al. say. Results were reported at American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. May 18...