The late-stage trial of Revlimid (lenalidomide) for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer has been discontinued after preliminary data shows that it does not extend survival! The independent monitoring committee recommended that the pivotal Phase III Mainsail trial be halted after it determined that adding Revlimid to standard treatments would not significantly increase the overall survival of men with castrate resistant prostate cancer.

The study was testing Revlimid, combined with the chemotherapy drug docetaxel and the steroid prednisone against those two drugs alone.

Revlimid is approved for the treatment of the blood cancer multiple myeloma
and for anemia associated with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Revlimid has been used by many of the “cutting edge” oncologists treating advanced prostate cancer as a second line hormone therapy (ADT). It is unclear if this will alter the recommendations of these oncologists who treat men with advanced prostate cancer, at the minimum it will make them pause when considering whether to prescribe it.

Joel T. Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.