Preliminary results of tranilast treatment for patients with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND Tranilast is a therapeutic agent used in treatment of allergic diseases. It has been reported previously that tranilast has antitumour effects on prostate cancer cells. This study examined whether tranilast has clinical benefit for prostate cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-one Japanese patients with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) were administered tranilast orally. RESULTS All patients had already been treated with combined androgen blockade followed by one or more salvage therapies and their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) continued to increase before starting tranilast. Median follow-up time was 14 months and median tranilast treatment time was 5 months. PSA progression was inhibited in 5 CRPC patients with bone metastasis. The survival rates at 12 and 24 months were 74.5% and 61.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION Although this study involved only pilot data, it indicates that tranilast may improve the prognosis of patients with advanced CRPC.