Phase I Trial of Suramin for Bladder Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Ord J J, Streeter E, Jones A, Le Monnier K, Cranston D, Crew J, Joel S P, Rogers M A, Banks R E, Roberts I S D, Harris A L
Primary Institution: Cancer Research UK
Hypothesis
Can intravesical Suramin be administered safely to patients with recurrent superficial bladder cancer while demonstrating pharmacodynamic effects?
Conclusion
Intravesical Suramin is well tolerated and shows low systemic absorption, supporting further clinical trials at a dose of 100 mg/ml.
Supporting Evidence
- Suramin showed minimal systemic absorption at the highest dose of 150 mg/ml.
- Urinary VEGF levels were affected by Suramin at doses above 50 mg/ml.
- Patients reported improvement in urinary symptoms during treatment.
- Three patients experienced minor side effects, but no serious adverse events were noted.
Takeaway
Doctors tested a medicine called Suramin in the bladder to see if it could help treat cancer without making people sick. It worked well and didn't cause many side effects.
Methodology
This was an open-labelled, nonrandomised dose-escalation phase I study with 12 patients receiving Suramin at varying doses intravesically.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the open-label design and lack of control group.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and was not randomized.
Participant Demographics
Patients were adults aged 52 to 81, with a mix of genders and varying tumor grades.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.2
Statistical Significance
p=0.2
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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