Prostate Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Prostate Cancer, including details on symptoms, genetics, screening, treatment, information.

High dose calcitriol may reduce thrombosis in cancer patients.

Beer TM, Venner PM, Ryan CW, Petrylak DP, Chatta G, Dean Ruether J, Chi KN, Curd JG, DeLoughery TG

Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA. beert@ohsu.edu

The incidence of venous and arterial thrombosis in a placebo-controlled randomised trial of DN-101 (high dose calcitriol) with docetaxel versus docetaxel was compared. Of the 13 thrombotic events observed in the 250 patients enroled in this study, two occurred in DN-101 and 11 in placebo-treated patients (P = 0.01). This difference remained significant after adjustment for baseline history of thrombosis, atrial fibrillation and use of anti-thrombotic agents. In vitro and vitamin D receptor (VDR) knockout mouse studies predict that nanomolar concentrations of calcitriol may act as an antithrombotic agent. We report the first clinical observation that supports this hypothesis in humans.

Published 11 October 2006 in Br J Haematol, 135(3): 392-4.
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