Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2006-11-27
pubmed:abstractText
The endpoints of confirmed response and progression are widely used in oncology clinical trials. These endpoints originated at a time when agents used to treat cancer were primarily cytotoxic. Increasingly agents that are cytostatic are being investigated in combination with agents that are cytotoxic. Since tumor growth rates often depend on the volume of the tumor, combining cytotoxic agents that reduce tumor volume with cytostatic agents may mask the activity of the cytostatic agent. This paper explores the sensitivity of time to progression/progression free survival (TTP/PFS) as an endpoint for evaluating the efficacy of cytostatic drugs when combined with cytotoxic agents. Mathematical models of tumor growth are used to describe tumor growth over time. The models account for the impact of chemotherapy and an agent that slows tumor growth in the context of the Gompertzian growth kinetics. We use a clinical trial of an angiogenesis inhibitor in metastatic breast cancer as a motivating example. We demonstrate that the endpoint TTP/PFS may not be sensitive to the effects of active cytostatic agents when they are combined with chemotherapy, and measuring time to regrowth would be more sensitive to the activity of a cytostatic agent. We conclude that an active cytostatic agent may not appear effective when combined with chemotherapy and evaluated with TTP/PFS in a clinical trial.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
1551-7144
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
28
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
18-24
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Endpoints for agents that slow tumor growth.
pubmed:affiliation
University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. ronyu@ucsd.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article