title: Prostate-specific antigen velocity and survival for patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The authors investigated whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity was associated significantly with the time to death after randomization among patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate carcinoma (HRMPC) who were treated with cytotoxic, cytotatic, or combination therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort included 213 men with HRMPC who were treated on 3 prospective, randomized Phase II studies between February 1996 and October 2001. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate whether there was a significant association between PSA velocity and the time to death after randomization, controlling for treatment and known prognostic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increasing PSA velocity was associated significantly with shorter survival after randomization (P = 0.005) controlling for treatment and known prognostic factors. The adjusted hazard ratio for death was 1.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.3-2.5; P = 0.0004) for men who had a PSA velocity > 0.0 ng/mL per month compared with men who had a PSA velocity < or = 0.0 ng/mL per month. Estimates of survival 2 years after randomization for these men were 16% (95% CI, 7-25%) and 44% (95% CI, 35-53%), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PSA velocity was associated significantly with the length of survival among men with HRMPC who received cytotoxic, cytostatic, or combination therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rozhansky
authors.forename: Ming-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dahut
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Figg
authors.forename: Anthony V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: D'Amico
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen