Naomi B. Haas, MD, director, Prostate and Kidney Cancer Program, associate professor of medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the role of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in prostate cancer.

PSMA is an antigen expressed on the cell surface that offers an important target for prostate cancer therapy, Haas says.

PSMA is not only a viable target in prostate cancer, Haas adds. Neovascular PSMA expression is common in several other tumor types.

In prostate cancer, as castrate resistance develops, PSMA is overexpressed. As such, patients with castration-resistant disease have more PSMA than patients with early-stage disease, Haas concludes.

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Naomi B. Haas, MD, discusses the role of prostate-specific membrane antigen in prostate cancer.

Dr. Haas on the Role of PSMA in Prostate Cancer 

Naomi B. Haas, MD, director, Prostate and Kidney Cancer Program Associate Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses results of 2 ongoing clinical trials looking at adjuvant therapy options in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

There are currently 8 adjuvant clinical trials in the United States and Europe, Haas explains. In the last 2 years, 2 of those trials have reported data. One of them, the ASSURE trial, which was a randomized study of sunitinib (Sutent), sorfaenib (Nexavar), or placebo for 1 year. Patients enrolled on the trial were divided by cohorts of intermediate- and high-risk classification with clear cell and non-clear cell histology. Following approximately 1300 patient accrual, there was a higher discontinuation rate than expected due to toxicity and intolerability. Due to this, the study was amended to include patients with a -1 dose level with a mandatory dose escalation.

The second study, the S-TRAC trial, enrolled patients with clear cell histology with a slightly higher risk stratification who were treated with 1 year of full-dose sunitinib versus placebo. The study was not amended; all patients started at the full dosage. A dose reduction was permitted at 37.5, Haas says. This trial had an endpoint of disease-free survival, which was reported as positive, Haas explains.

View more from the 2016 International Kidney Cancer Symposium

Dr. Haas on Adjuvant VEGF-Targeted Therapy in RCC

Naomi B. Haas, MD, associate professor, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the phase III ASSURE trial which looks at sorafenib or sunitinib for locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

It was hypothesized that sorafenib or sunitinib could extend disease-free survival in the adjuvant setting. To test this, patients were classified based on risk (intermediate-high or very high), clear or non-clear histology, ECOG performance status, and surgery approach and treated for a year with either sunitinib, sorafenib, or placebo.

It was found that neither sorafenib nor sunitinib improved outcomes when administered after surgery to patients with RCC.

View more from the 2015 GU Cancer Symposium

Naomi B. Haas, MD

Articles

Dr. Haas on the Role of PSMA in Prostate Cancer

Dr. Haas on Adjuvant VEGF-Targeted Therapy in RCC

Dr. Haas on Adjuvant Sorafenib or Sunitinib for RCC