Active clinical trials for "Prostatic Neoplasms"

Prostate cancer is a common occurrence in the aging population, with one in ten men destined to develop the disease. 40% of patients with prostate cancer experience a recurrence after definitive treatment. This study addresses the as-yet unresolved problem of the optimal management of early recurrence as manifested by increase in the accepted marker for this disease, PSA. Vitamin D, an agent with cell-differentiating properties, has been shown to inhibit angiogenesis and cause differentiation of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory and to affect PSA favorably in clinical studies of patients with advanced prostate cancer. This study will assess the effects of vitamin D in patients with sub-clinical biochemical relapses of prostate cancer as indicated by rising PSA but low tumor burdens, with the potential for developing an approach to this problem that will delay or prevent progression.

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from prostate cancer cells may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Colony-stimulating factors such as sargramostim may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood. Interleukin-2 may stimulate a person's white blood cells to kill prostate cancer cells. Androgens can stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. Hormone therapy using nilutamide may fight prostate cancer by reducing the production of androgens. It is not yet known which treatment regimen is more effective for treating prostate cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of vaccine therapy plus sargramostim and interleukin-2 with that of nilutamide alone in treating patients who have prostate cancer that has not responded to hormone therapy.

RATIONALE: Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy given with QS21 in treating patients who have progressive prostate cancer.

RATIONALE: Androgens can stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. Drugs such as goserelin, leuprolide, flutamide, or bicalutamide may stop the adrenal glands from producing androgens. Internal radiation uses radioactive material placed directly into or near a tumor to kill tumor cells. Combining hormone therapy with internal radiation may be effective in treating locally recurrent prostate cancer. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of hormone therapy followed by internal radiation in treating patients who have locally recurrent prostate cancer following external-beam radiation therapy.

This study is being done to evaluate the safety and efficacy of atrasentan in men with non-metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Motexafin gadolinium may increase the effectiveness of doxorubicin by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drug. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining motexafin gadolinium with doxorubicin in treating patients who have recurrent or metastatic cancer.

RATIONALE: Androgens can stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. Drugs such as ketoconazole may stop the production of androgens. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known whether hormone therapy is more effective than combination chemotherapy in treating prostate cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of hormone therapy with that of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have prostate cancer that has been previously treated with androgen suppression.

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from a patient's white blood cells may make the body build an immune response to kill cancer cells. Interleukin-12 may kill cancer cells by stopping blood flow to the tumor and by stimulating a person's white blood cells to kill cancer cells. Combining vaccine therapy with interleukin-12 may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy combined with interleukin-12 in treating patients who have metastatic prostate cancer that has not responded to hormone therapy.

This is a dosage escalation study to estimate the maximum tolerated dose of staurosporine analogue UCN-01. Groups of 3 to 6 patients receive a 72-hours intravenous continuous infusions of UCN-01 from day 1 to day 4 of each cycle the first cycle only, and over 36-hours on subsequent cycles. The side effects are allowed to disappear for up to 28 days. This cycle is repeated after evaluations and follow-ups, which are every 4 weeks, as long as the patient benefits.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Androgens can stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. Drugs such as goserelin, leuprolide, flutamide, or bicalutamide may stop the adrenal glands from producing androgens. Combining chemotherapy with hormone therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus hormone therapy in treating patients who have metastatic prostate cancer.