City of Hope has long been a leader in cancer research. Our goal is to bring the latest scientific findings into medical practice as quickly as possible. At City of Hope, patients often have access to promising new therapies long before they are available to the general public.
To learn more about our clinical trials program and specifically about clinical trials for prostate cancer, click here.
Clinical Research
This new noninvasive test, which detects the presence in prostate fluid of telomerase, an enzyme associated with certain cancers, may prove to be more sensitive than prostate specific antigen in the detection of prostate cancer.
This research could lead to the development of improved clinical tools for the early detection of prostate cancer, while substantially reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies performed. In addition, prognostic markers may also be identified which could help to predict those patients at highest risk for recurrence who may benefit from additional therapy. The telomerase/methylation test is only available at City of Hope as part of a clinical trial.
Cancer researchers have recently identified several biological factors that may be important in the development of prostate cancer. This study seeks to determine the role of more than two-dozen genetic factors in cancer research and specifically whether there is any relationship between any of these genetic factors and the risk of developing prostate cancer. We are studying whether genes with weak contributions to cancer risk can interact to produce a strong risk.
A clinical study is currently under way to evaluate whether patients who use regular, low doses of erectile function drugs soon after surgery return to potency faster than those who do not take the doses regularly. This study will help determine if it is beneficial to start rehabilitation as early as possible to increase blood and oxygen flow to the penis. City of Hope researchers are looking to accrue 220 men for the study. All study related medications will be provided to men free of charge.
This study examines the psychological adjustment and QOL issues that may affect prostatectomy patients and their partners. The primary focus is on understanding the role of social factors on partner psychological functioning, the impact of presurgical expectations on patient QOL outcomes one year later, and the trajectory of prostate-cancer specific QOL over time. This data will enhance our understanding of the impact of cancer on patients and family members, shed light on patient-partner interactions that may inhibit adjustment following diagnosis, and inform the development of psychological interventions aimed at improving psychosocial adjustment and QOL in prostate cancer survivors and their partners.
City of Hope has established a prostate cancer database to evaluate outcomes and patterns of cancer care. Clinical data on patients with a diagnosis of prostate cancer is being collected on consenting patients. The information plays a critical role in evaluating treatment and QOL for current and future patients. To see an example of how this research translates into knowledge for advancing the field click here to read a summary of “Perioperative complications of laparoscopic versus robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: the City of Hope experience.” Journal of Urology, 175: 541-546, 2006.
Translational Research
Translational research brings promising ideas from the lab into the clinical setting. Researchers and clinicians at City of Hope are engaged in ongoing communication and interaction to bring work from the lab to the bedside.
Clinicians and scientists are working together to determine whether or not EPS can be used to rule out cancer in patients being evaluated for prostate cancer in the urology clinic. These studies use the methods of molecular biology to identify whether or not cancer cells are present in EPS which can be obtained non-invasively. The goal is to develop a new non-invasive tool for determining whether or not patients should proceed with further invasive testing like prostate biopsy.
Basic Science Research
Scientists from a wide variety of disciplines at City of Hope are involved in pioneering basic prostate cancer research. Sometimes called investigational or laboratory research, this work is focused on making advances which will ultimately improve on our ability to treat patients with prostate cancer. This research may one day be translated into promising treatment for patients.
City of Hope’s patented bionanotechnology uses engineered DNA and protein to build tiny programmable machines (smaller than one thousandth the width of a human hair) that can find cancer cells and either mark them in a diagnostic procedure or perhaps selectively destroy them.
Our scientists are focused on identifying STAT proteins as new molecular targets for cancer therapy. For example, signal transduction research endeavors to develop more effective and less toxic drugs for the treatment of cancer. Other projects include investigating the role of Stat3 protein in prostate development and cancer.
Our researchers have found that mushrooms contain chemicals that act as inhibitors of steroid 5-alpha reductase. An elevation of the steroid 5-alpha reductase activity in the prostate may cause benign prostate hyperplasia (a common problem in older men) and also promote the growth of prostate cancer. Inhibitors of steroid 5-alpha reductase have been developed to treat these prostate diseases.
We are currently examining molecular biological and genetic approaches to address how obesity interacts with the development and progression of prostate cancer. In addition, emphasis is placed on prostate cancer cell-adipocyte interaction, and signaling transduction and gene regulation by adipose cytokines in androgen-independent prostate cancer cell growth.
A study to examine the role of CEACAM1 in mammary and prostate morphogenesis and the use of anti-CEA antibodies in tumor imaging and therapy is currently under way.
Visit the Division of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology to learn more.
Visit Molecular Biology, to learn more.