At the last ASCO Annual Meeting Saad et al. presented a report about a Phase II trial of custirsen (OGX-011) + docetaxel + prednisone vs. custirsen + mitoxantrone + prednisone in metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The subjects in the study had experienced relapses of cancer progression within 6 months of treatment with first-line docetaxel therapy.

Both the control and the experimental drug combinations were well tolerated at a median follow-up of >15 months. The combination of custirsen + docetaxel + prednisone (experimental treatment) had a higher level of efficacy and a superior safety profile compared to the combination of custirsen + mitoxantrone + prednisone.

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals announced that OGX-011 has received a Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in combination with docetaxel for potential treatment of progressive metastatic prostate cancer.
The actions of OGX-011 are to inhibit the production of the protein, clusterin, which has been associated with treatment resistance in chemotherapy treatment.

I anticipate that this trial will start in the near future. Once the trial commences and you experience chemotherapy failure you might consider talking with your oncologist about entering into the trial. Chemotherapy resistance is one of the many problems that plague advanced prostate cancer treatment.

Joel T Nowak MA, MSW