Annals of Oncology Advance Access published online on December 15, 2008
Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdn665
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Phase II trial of weekly patupilone in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer
1 University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, Baltimore
2 The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick
3 California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco
4 University of Washington, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle
5 Pacific Shores Medical Group, Long Beach
6 Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, USA
* Correspondence to: Dr A. Hussain, University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, 22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Tel: +1-410-328-7225; Fax: +1-410-328-0805; E-mail: ahussain{at}som.umaryland.edu
Background: Drug resistance mechanisms can reduce response rate and duration in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) receiving docetaxel-based therapy. Patupilone (epothilone B), a microtubule-targeting agent, may be unaffected by some resistance mechanisms. Therefore, a phase II study assessed the patupilone safety and activity in CRPC patients with and without previous chemotherapy.
Methods: CRPC patients received patupilone 2.5 mg/m2 weekly for 3 weeks of a 4-week cycle. Patients were required to have measurable disease or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression (levels > 20 ng/ml).
Results: All 45 enrolled patients (median age, 69 years) were safety and response assessable. Sixty-four percent had previous chemotherapy (55% had previous taxane therapy). Patients received a median of three patupilone cycles. Patupilone was generally well tolerated. Ten (22%) patients experienced grade 3 diarrhea, six (13%) grade 3 fatigue, and one (2%) grade 3 neuropathy with no neutropenia or thrombocytopenia incidence. Six (13%) patients had 
50% decline in PSA (three had previous taxane therapy). No patient with measurable disease had a response. Median overall survival was 13.4 months.
Conclusions: The safety profile of weekly patupilone in CRPC patients compares favorably with that of other microtubule inhibitors. At the dose and schedule tested, patupilone demonstrated minimal activity in CRPC.
clinical trial, epothilone B, prostatic neoplasms, tubulin modulators
Received for publication April 4, 2008. Revision received August 27, 2008. Accepted for publication September 9, 2008.