Tag: metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer

Dr. Scott Tagawa Presents Results of PSMA Imaging for Radioimmunotherapy in CRPC at AACR

Dr. Tagawa
Dr. Tagawa

Weill Cornell’s Dr. Scott Tagawa presented updated results of PSMA imaging in 4 phase I and II clinical trials at the recent annual meeting of the American Association of for Cancer Research (AACR) in Washington, DC. The trials presented were performed at Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The trials investigated the antitumor activity and safety profile of the experimental drug ATL101. The 4 trials involved patients treated with ATL101 and demonstrated that PSMA imaging might be used to predict response to ATL101 radioimmunotherapy in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients.

ATL101 is a new targeted radiotherapy experimental drug for treating prostate cancer. ATL101 combines the humanized J591 monoclonal antibody targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) plus the Lutetium-177 radioisotope, creating the first tumor-specific delivery system able to target radiation to radio-sensitive prostate cancer cells wherever they are in the body.

PSMA is the single most well-validated prostate cancer-specific cell membrane antigen known. It is present at high levels in 95% of prostate cancers, and it is rapidly internalized leading to accumulation of significant amounts of isotopes that can be linked to the J591 antibody. Humanized J591 monoclonal antibody has shown the ability, in several hundred patients studied to date, to exclusively target prostate cancer cells wherever they are in the body without targeting normal cells.

Lutetium-177 is a radioisotope that, once internalized into the cell, is irreversibly sequestered within the targeted tumor cell. It emits radiation over a millimetre range that is ideal for eradication of the small volume lesions commonly found in the bone marrow and lymph nodes of prostate cancer patients.

ATL101 is actively studied at Weill-Cornell Medical College/New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Phase I trials evaluating fractionated administration andcombination with docetaxel. In addition, a randomized, multi-centre Phase II trial of ATL-101 in patients who have relapsed following surgery and/or radiation therapy and hormonal therapy but who do not yet have demonstrable metastatic disease is ongoing at several clinical sites in the USA.

Click here to read a press release summarizing the updated results presented by Dr. Tagawa.

New Weill Cornell Clinical Trial: Aurora Kinase A Inhibitor MLN8237 in Metastatic Castrate Resistant and Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer

The Urological Oncology Program has recently opened a new, investigator-initiated clinical trial for for men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer and neuroendocrine prostate cancer.  The principal investigator is Dr. Himisha Beltran.

For more information about the study, please call Renee Khan, RN at (212) 746-1851, e-mail Renee at rek9015@med.cornell.edu.

Key Eligibility
  • Men age 18 and older
  • Metastatic neuroendocrine prostate cancer
  • Have had surgical or ongoing chemical castration (men with pure small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer are not required to have received androgen deprivation therapy or castrate levels of testosterone)
  • Detailed eligibility reviewed when you contact the study team
Study Details

The purpose of the study is to evaluate how well men with neuroendocrine prostate cancer respond to treatment with the experimental drug MLN8237.

MLN8237 (also called alisertib) is a pill taken by mouth. It has been developed to interfere with cell division, which is required for cancer cell growth. Aurora A kinase is an enzyme that may have a role in the progression of prostate cancer to neuroendocrine prostate cancer, which tends to behave aggressively and not respond well to most other therapies used for advanced prostate cancer. MLN8237 works by blocking Aurora A kinase. This may interfere with dividing cells, thereby slowing the growth of cancer and killing cancer cells.

All study participants will receive MLN8237; there is no placebo used in this study.  Participants will take MLN8237 in 21-day cycles:

  •  MLN8237 twice a day for 7 days in a row; after the 7 days of treatment, will not take it again for 2 weeks and then restart the cycle again

Study participants will continue with MLN8237 therapy as long as they are responding to treatment and not experiencing unacceptable side effects.

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