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发表于 2009-4-28 01:16 PM
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Cancer
Data Shows Provenge Extends Cancer Survival
Matthew Herper, 04.28.09, 02:01 PM EDT
Dendreon released some data on its prostate cancer drug, Provenge.
CHICAGO -- Dendreon released some data related to its prostate cancer drug Provenge ahead of a data presentation here at the American Urological Association.
The data show that Provenge, the company's immunotherapy for prostate cancer, extended survival in a clinical trial by a median 4.1 months, reducing the risk of death by 22.5% in a 500-person study.
The result is unlikely to be due to chance. Its statistical p-value is 0.032, meaning roughly that there is only a three in 100 chance the result happened randomly. Scientists generally assume results with a p value of less than one in 100 are trustworthy.
A press release from the AUA also states that the number of patients who are alive three years after treatment is 38% greater among those who received Provenge.
That's surprising, says Donald Berry, a statistician at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Normally a 38% difference, in 500 patients, would have resulted in a much greater level of statistical significance. "Deaths occurring after three years are the most likely reason for the marginal level of statistical significance," Berry says.
Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, says that he is "encouraged" by the data but warns, "I still think we need to be cautious."
"Please keep in mind, at best this is an effective treatment, it is not a cure for metastatic prostate cancer," says Brawley. "It may very well be an important new therapy. It is important that the scientific community digest this and do it right." |
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