Clinical Evidence (Prostate Cancer)

Pilot Study: Low-Dose glyceryl trinatrate, GTN Treatment of Patients with Biochemical Failure Following Primary Treatment of Prostate Cancer

A phase I/II open-label, 24-month, study was conducted by investigators at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of low-dose, sustained release (SR) transdermal GTN on PSA velocity in men with ‘biochemical failure’ after treatment of localized prostate cancer. The study also set out to evaluate the safety and tolerability of low-dose SR transdermal GTN in this patient cohort. Patients had follow-up visits monthly for the first 6 months, and then every 3 months after that. PSA testing was performed at each follow up visit.

This study found that after 9 months or 24 months of receiving treatment with low-dose, SR transdermal GTN, PSADT was significantly longer compared with the pre-treatment PSADT  Furthermore, the 9-month PSADT and 24-month PSADT of the GTN-treated cohort were also significantly longer than the PSADT of a retrospective control cohort identified from chart review (13 patients with post-prostatectomy managed by “watchful waiting” for 4.6 months at the Kingston General Hospital between 1997 and 2001).   There were no adverse events reported during the trial.

References: Siemens et al, J. Urology 2009 V74 pgs 878-883