14 Mar Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Serum Biomarkers of Bone Metabolism
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Primo N. Lara, Jr, MD,
Professor of Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine
Associate Director for Translational Research
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sacramento, CA 95817
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study:
Dr. Lara: “We found that blood markers of bone turnover can be used to predict outcomes in men with advanced prostate cancer with spread to bone. We also found that a small proportion of men could be predicted to benefit from an investigational drug based on these same markers.”
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Lara: “The findings demonstrated the very strong association between bone turnover and patient outcomes, particularly overall survival. What was most interesting was that these markers, when highly elevated, appear to predict who will benefit from an investigational drug that had specific effects on bone metastasis. “
MedicalResearch.com: What can clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Lara: “These bone biomarkers provide a practical way of assessing prognosis in men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer. In other words, those with the highest markers are likely to not do as well as those with lower levels. This allows you to guesstimate how the patient will do relative to others and advise patients about what you think their long-term survival might be. It gives you some concrete idea of the likelihood of longevity. These markers can also be used to enhance future clinical trial design. Trials in these patients ought to stratify for bone marker levels, and drugs specifically targeted at bone metastasis ought to incorporate these bone markers in their design.”
Last Updated on March 25, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD