National Cancer Institute
U.S. National Institutes of Health | www.cancer.gov

NCI Home
Cancer Topics
Clinical Trials
Cancer Statistics
Research & Funding
News
About NCI
Clinical Trials (PDQ®)
Patient Version   Health Professional Version
Last Modified: 2/23/2007     First Published: 1/1/1999  
Page Options
Print This Page
E-Mail This Document
Quick Links
Director's Corner

Dictionary of Cancer Terms

NCI Drug Dictionary

Funding Opportunities

NCI Publications

Advisory Boards and Groups

Science Serving People

Español
NCI Highlights
High Dose Chemotherapy Prolongs Survival for Leukemia

Prostate Cancer Study Shows No Benefit for Selenium, Vitamin E

Past Highlights
Phase III Randomized Study of Intermittent Versus Continuous Androgen Suppression in Patients With Prostate-Specific Antigen Progression in the Clinical Absence of Distant Metastases After Prior Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

Alternate Title
Basic Trial Information
Objectives
Entry Criteria
Expected Enrollment
Outcomes
Outline
Related Publications
Trial Contact Information
Registry Information

Alternate Title

Hormone Therapy in Treating Patients With Rising PSA Levels Following Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Basic Trial Information

Phase
Type
Status
Age
Sponsor
Protocol IDs

Phase III


Treatment


Closed


16 and over


NCI


CAN-NCIC-PR7
SWOG-JPR7, ICR-CTSU-JPR7, JPR7, NCT00003653, PR7

Special Category: CTSU trial

Objectives

  1. Compare the survival of prostate cancer patients with prostate-specific antigen progression in the clinical absence of distant metastases after prior radical radiotherapy treated with intermittent androgen suppression (IAS) vs continuous androgen deprivation (CAD).
  2. Compare the time to the development of hormone resistance in patients treated with these regimens.
  3. Compare the quality of life of patients treated with these regimens.
  4. Compare the serum cholesterol and HDL/LDL levels at 3 years with those at baseline and compare them annually in patients treated with these regimens.
  5. Evaluate the duration of treatment and non-treatment intervals, time to testosterone recovery (return to pre-therapy levels), and time to recover potency in patients treated with IAS.

Entry Criteria

Disease Characteristics:

  • Histologically or cytologically proven adenocarcinoma of the prostate prior to the initiation of radiotherapy


  • Prior pelvic radiotherapy for prostate cancer, either post-radical prostatectomy or as primary management
    • More than 30 months since prior brachytherapy with curative intent


  • Prostate-specific antigen must be rising and greater than 3 ng/mL and higher than the lowest level recorded previously since the end of radiotherapy (i.e., higher than the post-radiotherapy nadir)


  • Total testosterone greater than 5 nmol/L


  • No definite evidence of metastatic disease
    • Chest x-ray and bone scan negative for metastases
    • Radiological changes compatible with nonmalignant diseases allowed


  • Clinical evidence of local disease allowed


Prior/Concurrent Therapy:

Biologic therapy:

  • No prior or concurrent biologic therapy

Chemotherapy:

  • No prior or concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

  • Prior hormonal therapy administered prior to, during, or immediately after radical radiotherapy or prostatectomy allowed provided duration was no longer than 12 months
    • At least 12 months since prior hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy:

  • See Disease Characteristics
  • At least 12 months since prior radiotherapy
  • No concurrent palliative radiotherapy

Surgery:

  • See Disease Characteristics
  • See Endocrine therapy

Other:

  • No concurrent bisphosphonates

Patient Characteristics:

Age:

  • 16 and over (18 and over for participating centers in the United Kingdom)

Performance status:

  • ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

  • More than 5 years

Hematopoietic:

  • Not specified

Hepatic:

  • Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • AST/ALT no greater than 1.5 times ULN
  • LDH no greater than 1.5 times ULN
  • No chronic liver disease

Renal:

  • Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN

Other:

  • Sufficiently fluent and willing to complete the quality of life questionnaire in either English or French
  • Fertile patients must use effective contraception
  • No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal or squamous cell skin cancer or superficial bladder cancer

Expected Enrollment

1386

A total of 1,386 patients will be accrued for this study within 7 years.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome(s)

Overall survival

Secondary Outcome(s)

Time to hormone resistance
Quality of life by European Organization for Research of the Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30+ (EORTC QLQ-C30+) trial specific checklist
Serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein levels
Duration of treatment and non-treatment interval during intermittent androgen suppression arm only
Time to testosterone recovery during intermittent androgen suppression arm only
Time to recovery of potency during intermittent androgen suppression arm only

Outline

This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to prior radical prostatectomy (yes vs no), time since completion of prior radical radiotherapy (1 to 3 years vs 3 years or more), baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value (3-15 ng/mL vs greater than 15 ng/mL), and prior hormonal therapy (neo-adjuvant, concurrent, or adjuvant cytoreduction in association with the radical radiotherapy treatment or prostatectomy for a maximum duration of 12 months and completed at least 12 months prior to randomization) (yes vs no). Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms.

  • Arm I: Patients undergo intermittent androgen suppression (IAS). Patients receive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analog (buserelin [BSRL], goserelin [ZDX], or leuprolide [LEUP]) and an antiandrogen (nilutamide [ANAN], flutamide [FLUT], bicalutamide [CDX], or cyproterone acetate [CPTR]) for 8 months. Patients receive LHRH analog by subcutaneous (SC) or intramuscular (IM) implant every 1-4 months beginning within 5 days of randomization and oral antiandrogen 1-3 times daily, depending on the actual LHRH analog and antiandrogen. PSA levels are monitored every 2 months. If PSA falls to normal during the 8-month treatment period, therapy stops until levels rise to 10 ng/mL, at which time IAS resumes for another 8-month period. IAS continues as long as PSA levels are controlled. At the time of disease progression, patients begin continuous hormonal treatment similar to arm II.


  • Arm II: Patients undergo continuous androgen deprivation without scheduled interruptions. Patients receive LHRH analog (BSRL, ZDX, or LEUP) with an antiandrogen (ANAN, FLUT, CDX, or CPTR) OR undergo bilateral orchiectomy within 5 days of randomization and receive an antiandrogen. Patients receive LHRH analog by SC or IM implant every 1-4 months beginning within 5 days of randomization and oral antiandrogen 1-3 times daily, depending on the actual LHRH analog and antiandrogen. PSA levels are monitored every 2 months. Treatment continues until hormone resistance develops.


Patients receiving LHRH analog may begin antiandrogen therapy either prior to or simultaneously with LHRH analog and must continue antiandrogen therapy for at least 4 weeks to block tumor flare.

Quality of life is assessed at randomization, every 4 months for 2 years, every 8 months until development of hormone resistance, at the time of hormone resistance, and then annually thereafter.

Patients are followed annually for survival.

Related Publications

Klotz L, Correia A, Zhang W: The relationship between the androgen receptor CAG repeat polymorphism length and the response to intermittent androgen suppression therapy for advanced prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 8 (2): 179-83, 2005.[PUBMED Abstract]

Trial Contact Information

Trial Lead Organizations

NCIC-Clinical Trials Group

Laurence Klotz, MD, Protocol chair
Ph: 416-480-4673

Southwest Oncology Group

Celestia Higano, MD, Protocol chair
Ph: 206-288-2048

Registry Information
Official Title A Phase III Randomized Trial Comparing Intermittent Versus Continuous Androgen Suppression for Patients with Prostate-Specific-Antigen Progression in the Clinical Absence of Distant Metastases Following Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer
Trial Start Date 1999-01-05
Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00003653
Date Submitted to PDQ 1998-11-05
Information Last Verified 2006-11-06
NCI Grant/Contract Number CA77202, CA77202

Note: The purpose of most clinical trials listed in this database is to test new cancer treatments, or new methods of diagnosing, screening, or preventing cancer. Because all potentially harmful side effects are not known before a trial is conducted, dose and schedule modifications may be required for participants if they develop side effects from the treatment or test. The therapy or test described in this clinical trial is intended for use by clinical oncologists in carefully structured settings, and may not prove to be more effective than standard treatment. A responsible investigator associated with this clinical trial should be consulted before using this protocol.

Back to Top

A Service of the National Cancer Institute
Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health USA.gov