VANCOUVER, BC – A United States Army special research program has enlisted the help of two of BC’s leading medical experts in the battle against prostate cancer.  Dr. Martin Gleave, Director of Clinical Research at the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), and Dr. Kim Chi, a medical oncologist at the BC Cancer Agency, today released details about an upcoming clinical study funded through a special $1 million grant from the US Department of Defense.  The study will examine the use of a promising new, anti-cancer drug called OGX-011 (Clusterin Antisense Oligonucleotide) that blocks off the defences of tough, “survivor” prostate cancer cells.

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and the second leading cause of death from cancer in North America, including men who have served in the military services of both Canada and the US,” says Dr. Gleave. “We really need to study how to stop the disease from becoming resistant, or defending itself, against treatments in patients with the advanced stages of cancer.”

The study will examine the ability of OGX-011 to suppress prostate cancer cells that survive in the body after treatment and believed responsible for causing relapses of the disease.  The phase I/II clinical trials with OGX-011 commences in mid-2002, involves 75 patients at the Prostate Centre at VGH and the BC Cancer Agency and one to two years to complete.

“Our study looks at using OGX-011 in combination with hormone therapy or chemotherapy to see if there will be significant improvement in treatment programs and survival rates for patients with advanced prostate cancer,” says Dr. Chi.

Despite positive first treatments for prostate cancer, remissions are often temporary in the advanced stages of the disease because of the surviving cancer cells.  Scientists suspect that a protein called “Clusterin” allows surviving cancer cells to grow.  Pre-clinical testing shows that OGX-011, a discovery licensed to Vancouver-based OncoGenex Technologies, can suppress clusterin from triggering the survival of cancer cells, especially when the drug is combined with other treatments, such as androgen ablation (the removal of male hormones from the body through surgical removal of the prostate gland), radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Androgen ablation results in the death of prostate cancer cells and is currently the only therapy that has been shown to prolong the life of men in the advanced stages of the disease.  Hormone therapy is also used prior to surgery and radiation for patients at high risk of relapse.

The study is funded through a grant from the US Army’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, Prostate Cancer Research Program.  Its panel of experts reviews grant applications from researchers across the USA and internationally, providing funding to the top research programs in the world.  According to the review panel, in its letter authorizing funding, the study is, “likely to provide important new information about the emergence of androgen-independent clones and may provide a new tool for preventing that emergence.”  The expert panel noted that, “the agent being tested may also have value in enhancing the cell death response to other prostate cancer treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy, makes this an even more exciting study, … overall, this is an outstanding proposal.”

The prostate gland, the size of the walnut, is located in the lower part of the male torso, or pelvis, just behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum.  Because it produces the substance which carries and nourishes sperm, the prostate plays an important role in male reproduction and sexual activity.  While there is a 30 per cent higher rate of prostate cancer in BC, there is a 16 per cent lower death rate, due primarily to the leading edge treatment and care offered.  More than 16,000 Canadian men are diagnosed each year with prostate cancer, and more than 4,000 die annually from the disease.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs provided health services to more than 3.8 million Americans in 2000.  Of these, nearly 13,000 men received benefits for the treatment of some form of prostate cancer or related illness. 

The BC Cancer Agency is committed to reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer.  It provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care.  The BC Cancer Research Centre conducts research into the causes and cures for cancer.  The BC Cancer Foundation has the mandate to raise funds to support the work of the Agency and the Research Centre.

The Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital is the largest comprehensive research and treatment centre of its kind in Canada, employing over 80 medical and scientific personnel, and conducting more than $3.5 million in research each year.  Affiliated with the University of British Columbia, it is one of three centres of excellence located at Vancouver General Hospital, the primary adult referral and teaching hospital in Western Canada and a part of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, one of the largest networks of health organizations and services in Canada.  

For more information, contact:
Nicole Adams
Public Relations Officer
BC Cancer Agency
(604) 877-6272