New Drug Stabilizes Tumor Growth In Brain Cancer Patients

A new drug may help patients with the deadliest form of brain cancer live longer, more normal lives.

The drug, Prinomastat, is under study in a Phase II clinical trial led by Dr. Victor A. Levin, professor of neuro-oncology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the country's leading centers for brain cancer research.

"The current prognosis for patients with glioblastoma multiforme is not encouraging," says Dr. Levin. "The average survival rate is 48 to 60 weeks after diagnosis. Even with improved neurosurgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, the five-year survival rate remains at 5 percent to 8 percent and that's not good enough. Our hope is that this new drug will substantially increase the lifespan of our patients."

According to Dr. Levin, Prinomastat is an oral medication that has shown only mild side effects in Phase I studies. This is a great improvement over other drug therapies that require visits to the hospital and cause moderate side effects such as decreased blood counts, severe weight loss and nausea, he says.

Prinomastat works by inhibiting the cancer cell's ability to invade or spread into regions where healthy, normal cells reside. A cancer cell produces enzymes called matrix metalloproteases, or MMPs, which break down the extracellular matrix that support surrounding cells thus allowing the cancer to more easily spread.

Laboratory studies have shown that Prinomastat blocks the action of these MMPs thereby shrinking the primary tumor and reducing the number and size of tumors that have spread.

Currently there are only three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of glioblastoma, BCNU (carmustine), CCNU (lomustine) and temozolomide (Temodar). Dr. Levin explains that while Prinomastat is not a "magic bullet," it may provide patients a longer life, and one free of adverse side effects currently experienced with other drugs.

In order to enroll in the Phase II study, patients must meet certain criteria including having newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme and completing appropriate surgical procedures. Patients must be 16 years of age or older.

Dr. Levin explains that all patients will receive standard treatment with Temodar. One half of the patients also will receive Prinomastat while the other half will get a placebo. Patients will take part in the study for approximately one year, during which time their progress will be monitored with blood tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Individuals interested in participating in the study at M. D. Anderson may call 1-800-392-1611 or 713-792-7728 or check out the cancer center's web site at www.mdanderson.org.

The American Cancer Society estimated that in 1999 nearly 17,000 people would be diagnosed with cancers that started in the brain and that just over 13,000 of them would die. Brain cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in children.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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