Analysis of docetaxel therapy in elderly (≥70 years) castration resistant prostate cancer patients enrolled in the Netherlands Prostate Study.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer truly is an age-associated disease. Due to the increased life expectancy and more sensitive diagnostic techniques in the Western world, prostate cancer is diagnosed more frequently and with rapidly increasing incidence and prevalence rates. However, age above 65 or 70 years has been an exclusion criterion in clinical trials for decades and the knowledge about chemotherapy tolerance in elderly is limited. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of data acquired from the recently published Netherlands Prostate Study (NePro) to evaluate the influence of advanced age on docetaxel therapy in elderly men (>70 years) with castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and bone metastases. Statistical analyses were performed stratified for age into four categories: <70 (n=315), 70-74 (n=150), 75-79 (n=85), and ≥80 years old (n=18). RESULTS: We analysed 568 patients (median age 68.1 years, range 46-89 years, 44.5% aged ≥70 years). There was no relation between dosage and age (p=0.60). We found no significant differences between the number of dose reductions, time to progression (TTP), overall survival, chemotherapy tolerance and toxicity up to the age of 80 years. However, when compared to younger men, men aged 80 years or above more frequently experienced grade 3/4 toxicity and were five times less likely to complete the first three treatment cycles at the intended dose (Odds ratio (OR) 5.34, p=0.0052) and showed decreased overall survival (15.3 months versus 24.5 months in <80 years group, p=0.020). CONCLUSION: In CRPC patients up to the age of 80 years, docetaxel chemotherapy is well tolerated, with toxicity levels and TTP comparable to those of younger patients. For chemotherapeutic treatment of patients above the age of 80 years an individual assessment should be made.

Randomised phase II/III study of docetaxel with or without risedronate in patients with metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC), the Netherlands Prostate Study (NePro).

BACKGROUND: This multicentre, randomised, open label, phase II/III study aimed to investigate the potential benefit of adding risedronate (R) to docetaxel (D) in patients with metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: CRPC patients with bone metastasis were randomly assigned to receive D 75 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks and prednisone as first line chemotherapy, with or without R 30 mg oral once daily. The primary end-point was time to progression (TTP). A composite end-point of objective progression by RECIST criteria, PSA progression, or pain progression, whichever occurred first, was applied. The study had 80% power to detect an improvement of 30% in median TTP in the DR group (two-sided α=0.05). RESULTS: Five hundred and ninety-two men (301 D versus 291 DR) were randomised. TTP was 7.4 [D] versus 6.5 [DR] months (p=0.75). PSA and pain response rates were similar, 66.3% [D] versus 65.9% [DR] and 27.9% [D] versus 31.2% [DR], respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was 18.4 [D] versus 19.2 [DR] months (p=0.33). There were no differences in toxicity. CONCLUSION: The addition of the third generation bisphosphonate, risedronate, in the setting of effective first line docetaxel based chemotherapy did not increase efficacy, as indicated by the lack of improvement in TTP, OS, PSA- and pain response.

Significant improvement in survival of patients presenting with metastatic colon cancer in the south of The Netherlands from 1990 to 2004.

BACKGROUND: In randomised controlled trials, the median overall survival (OS) for patients with metastatic colon cancer has improved. However, the results of randomised controlled trials should be interpreted with caution and cannot simply be extrapolated to the general practice. We retrospectively analysed population-based survival data of patients who presented with metastatic colon cancer at diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients diagnosed with primary metastatic colon cancer from 1990 to 2004 in the registration area of the Eindhoven Cancer Registry were included. Date of diagnosis was divided into four periods (1990-1994, 1995-1999, 2000-2002, and 2003-2004) according to the availability of chemotherapy for metastatic colon cancer. We assessed OS according to chemotherapy use and period. RESULTS: Of the 1769 patients, 30.6% received chemotherapy. Chemotherapy use over time increased from 24% in 1990-1994 to 55% in 2000-2004 for patients aged <70 years and from 2% to 22% in patients aged 70 years and older. Median survival for patients diagnosed in 1990-1994 was 26 [95% confidence interval (CI) 22-32] weeks, while patients diagnosed in 2003-2004 had a median survival of 39 (95% CI 31-48) weeks. Patients who did not receive chemotherapy had a survival of 22 (95% CI 20-25) weeks, while the survival for patients who did receive chemotherapy was 57 (95% CI 51-65) weeks. OS decreased with increasing age (P < 0.0001). In the multivariate survival analysis, chemotherapy use, increasing age, having multiple comorbid conditions, and having more than one tumour site significantly affect survival, with the strongest effect of chemotherapy use. CONCLUSION: Palliative chemotherapy significantly improved OS in unselected patients with metastatic colon cancer.

Hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell lymphoma: A case report.

A 53-year-old man complained of weight loss, night sweats, and splenomegaly. The patient was diagnosed with stage IV hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a highly aggressive and rare form of peripheral T-cell lymphoma. After completing CHOP chemotherapy, the patient relapsed. He did not respond to subsequent alemtuzumab therapy.

[Characterisation of families with hereditary prostate cancer in the Netherlands]. / Karakterisering van families met hereditair prostaatcarcinoom in Nederland.

OBJECTIVE: To inventory the characteristics of Dutch families with hereditary prostate carcinoma (HPC). DESIGN: Descriptive. METHOD: From a national registry of families that meet the criteria of HPC, information was collected about patients with HPC and their first-degree relatives from 1995 through to 30 June 2001. The ages of the HPC patients at diagnosis were compared with those of all patients with prostate cancer in the Dutch population during the period 1990 to 1996. The cumulative risk of prostate cancer for HPC families was calculated on the basis of the ages of the patients with prostate cancer and their first-degree male relatives. RESULTS: A total of 70 families fulfilled the criteria. The families included 273 patients with prostate cancer. The diagnosis had been confirmed in 208 (76%) of these patients. Two cases of prostate cancer were observed in 3 families, 3 cases were found in 31 families, and in the remaining families 4-8 cases of prostate cancer were observed. The mean age at diagnosis of prostate cancer was 65.5 years (range: 46-89). Of the 273 HPC patients, 128 (47%) were younger than 65 years at the time of diagnosis, whereas in unselected cases of prostate cancer this figure was 16%. The risk of developing prostate cancer before the age of 70 years for members of HPC families was 39%. The mean age of death due to prostate cancer was 71 years (54-84). The mean value of prostate specific antigen (PSA), known for 47 (17%) of the HPC patients, was 36.8 ng/ml (2.1-280).