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An independent data monitoring committee׳s (IDMC׳s) duty is to ensure that the interests of the patients entered in the trial are being well served (i.e., the risk-benefit ratio is appropriate) and that the scientific integrity of the trial is maintained during the interim between trial initiation and trial completion. Industry sponsors form IDMCs to ensure an independent assessment to assure that the study participants are not exposed to unnecessary or unreasonable risks because of their trial participation and to ensure that the study is being conducted according to highest scientific and ethical standards. IDMCs are needed to analyze interim data for large randomized studies, in particular those that involve multiple sites and important clinical end points such as survival or disease progression. Ethical principles mandate that clinical trials begin with uncertainty as to which treatment is better (clinical equipoise). This uncertainty should be maintained during study conduct and analysis unless there are compelling data that emerge during the conduct of the trial. Group sequential statistical designs offer a mechanism to consider terminating a trial early and the results made public if the interim data become sufficiently compelling. Interim monitoring of safety and efficacy data is an integral part of modern clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article reviews the basic principles involved in the design, conduct, and analysis of Phase III treatment trials in prostate cancer. It begins with a brief review of Phase III trials, and subsequently describes the process of hypothesis testing and the types of errors involved in the process of statistical inference. Next, it presents a general discussion of design considerations, including choice of endpoints, patient selection and eligibility criteria, randomization and stratification, methods to determine the required number patients, standard procedures to monitor a study, and finally how to analyze the results from randomized clinical trials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Institution of early hormone therapy in the PSA era coupled with demonstration of clinical benefit with chemotherapy in hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) and acceptance of PSA decline as a surrogate for response has resulted in introduction of chemotherapy earlier in the natural history of disease. There now exists a need to identify, effective agents for second line chemotherapy. 9-Nitrocamptothecin (9-NC) a novel, oral camptothecin analogue was tested as second line chemotherapy for patients with progressive hormone refractory prostate cancer.Patients and methods: Eligible patients had metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer with performance status (0–1) following progression on at least 1 prior cytotoxic chemotherapy. 9-NC was administered orally at the dose of 1.5 mg/m2/d for 5 days each week for 3 weeks, followed by rest for 1 week. Response was evaluated after 2 cycles according to the guidelines set forth for Phase II trials in HRPC by the PSA working group.Results: Thirty-five patients were recruited to the study within a period of 6 months; 33 were evaluable for analysis. No patients had a >50% decline in PSA levels. Two out of 8 (25%) patients with measurable disease and 5/25 (20%) patients with nonmeasurable disease showed stable disease. The median time to disease and PSA progression was 2 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9–2.8]. The median overall survival was 10 months (95% CI = 5–12). Seven patients are alive after a median follow-up of 23 months.Conclusions: 9-Nitrocamptothecin failed to elicit clinical or PSA responses. Further study in pretreated HRPC patients is not warranted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Activation of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway is common in advanced castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), typically through PTEN loss. Preclinical studies suggest that Akt-driven CaP cells are genetically susceptible to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR, or TORC1) inhibition. Everolimus is a Food and Drug Administration-approved inhibitor of TORC1.Materials and Methods: We performed a phase II study of everolimus in patients with mCRPC, who were refractory to standard of care hormonal and chemotherapeutic agents. Patients received everolimus 10 mg daily until unacceptable adverse events or disease progression. The primary efficacy outcome was confirmed 50% or greater prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response, using a 2 stage design with futility rules. Paired biopsies were utilized to assess for treatment effect on downstream TORC1 targets as well as tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis.Results: Out of 35 men enrolled with heavily pretreated mCRPC, 32 were evaluable for clinical efficacy. No PSA responses were observed, the median progression-free survival time was 3.6 months (95% confidence interval = 2.9-4.8) and the median overall survival time was 10.4 months (95% confidence interval = 5.8-15.8). Several patients had declines in serum PSA upon cessation of everolimus. Thus, the study was closed due to clinical futility. The most common toxicities were mucositis, fatigue, anorexia, hypertriglyceridemia, and thrombocytopenia and were largely low grade. Pathologic evaluation of paired metastatic biopsies demonstrated consistent inhibition of pS6, a downstream mTOR pharmacodynamics biomarker, but the tumor proliferation marker Ki-67 increased with therapy.Conclusions: Everolimus demonstrated predictable toxicity in advanced and heavily pretreated patients with mCRPC. No clinical or clear pathologic effects despite downstream TORC1 target inhibition, suggesting that single agent everolimus has no clinical utility in men with mCRPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway alterations drive progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We aim to evaluate genes within the canonical and non-canonical HIF pathways as predictors of survival in metastatic ccRCC.Materials and Methods: Gene expression was determined from 324 archival pretreatment nephrectomy specimens from CALGB90206, a phase III trial of patients treated with interferon alpha (INF-α) vs. INF-α plus bevacizumab. TaqMan RT-qPCR was performed using RNA from tumors macrodissected based on review by genitourinary pathology.Results: A total of 35 HIF-related genes were assessed by Cox regression analysis. After adjusting for sex and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center risk score (MSKCC-RS), 11 genes predicted OS: HIF2A (HR 1.059, P = 0.012), EGLN3 (HR 1.089, P = 0.012), VEGFC (HR 0.904, P = 0.039), VEGFD (HR 1.085, P = 0.016), FLT4 (HR 1.093, P = 0.038), CCND1 (HR 1.077, P = 0.026), TGFA (HR 1.127, P = 0.003), EGFR (HR 1.151, P = 0.028), VHL (HR 0.764, P = 0.002), HSP90AA1 (HR 0.845, P = 0.002), and PTEN (HR 1.163, P = 0.050); 7 genes predicted PFS: HIF2A (HR 1.060, P = 0.011), CCND1 (HR 1.082, P = 0.016), TGFA (HR 1.096, P = 0.026), EP300 (HR 1.171, P = 0.031), VHL (HR 0.775, P = 0.007), HSP90AA1 (HR 0.871, P = 0.015), and TP53 (HR 1.119, P = 0.050). Most of these genes validated as significant predictors of survival in the external, TCGA dataset. In multivariate analysis of all externally validated genes, VEGFC (HR 0.906, P = 0.043), TGFA (HR 1.122, P = 0.003), CITED2 (HR 1.113, P = 0.035) and EP300 (HR 1.136, P = 0.049) predicted OS; and HIF2A (HR 1.049, P = 0.036) and EP300 (HR 1.199, P = 0.010) predicted PFS. EGLN3 (HR 1.156, P = 0.045) and BNIP3 (HR 1.254, P = 0.049) significantly interacted with treatment status and predicted PFS in patients treated with IFN-α and IFN-α+bevacizumab, respectively.Conclusions: We identified specific gene isoforms in both the canonical and non-canonical HIF pathways associated with metastatic RCC survival. EGLN3 and BNIP3 showed significant interaction with treatment arm and may be predictive of treatment response. We have identified genes for future prospective investigation as predictive biomarkers and novel drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The presence of ≥5 circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is prognostic for shorter survival in men with metastatic castration–resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, some men have low CTCs despite widespread disease, suggesting heterogeneity in CTC phenotype or detection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of CTC enumeration with clinical disease characteristics and overall survival in men with mCRPC at our institution. Design CTCs were enumerated using the CellSearch method in a prospective correlative study in men with mCRPC starting a new systemic therapy. The primary objective was to determine the clinical phenotype of the subset of men with mCRPC who have a poor prognosis and low CTCs. Secondary end points included associations of CTCs with survival and known prognostic biomarkers, before therapy and at progression. Results At baseline, median CTC count was 16 cells and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 178 ng/ml. At progression, median CTC count was 42, PSA level was 245 ng/ml, levels of lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase rose, and level of hemoglobin dropped. The median overall survival for this heavily pretreated population was 11.2 months, and the multivariable hazard ratio for death of men with CTCs<5 vs.≥5 was 0.43 (95% CI: 0.24–0.77). Median progression-free survival was 4.4 months. CTC enumeration modestly correlated with lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase levels but only weakly correlated with PSA and hemoglobin levels. We were unable to identify a consistent subgroup of poor prognosis men with a low number of CTCs. Conclusion CTC enumeration appears to be prognostic in men with mCRPC and describes a phenotype of hematogenous dissemination that cannot be predicted based on standard clinical and laboratory assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]