Clinical and biomarker correlates of androgen-independent, locally aggressive prostate cancer with limited metastatic potential.

Purpose: We have identified a subset of patients exhibiting extended survival with metastases from androgenindependent prostate cancer of which the principal site of progression was the tumor primary. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of selected biomarkers to characterize this subset of prostate cancer patients.

Experimental Design: A 105 core tissue microarray was constructed from primary tumor samples from 16 patients, with matched lymph node metastases in 5 cases.

Novel therapeutic strategies for androgen-independent prostate cancer: an update.

Close to 30,000 men will die from prostate cancer in the United States in 2003. Hormonal ablation, the basis of systemic therapy, will invariably fail to control the progression of metastatic prostate cancer in the long run. For many years the only available therapeutic modalities for patients with metastatic androgen independent prostate cancer have been second-line hormonal maneuvers with estrogens or steroids and chemotherapy.

Recent advances in aromatase inhibitor therapy for breast cancer.

Third-generation aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane) have emerged as an alternative first-line endocrine treatment for postmenopausal breast cancer patients with hormone-responsive disease. Their clinical efficacy, excellent tolerability, and safety profile compare favorably with that of tamoxifen, which has been the cornerstone of endocrine therapy for years. This review will discuss the findings of recently published randomized clinical trials comparing this new class of drugs with tamoxifen as first-line treatment for advanced disease.