The purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with fulvestrant leads to a slowing of tumor progression in patients who have developed androgen-independent (AIPC) or hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) and who have a rising serum prostate specific antigen (PSA). In vitro studies have shown that fulvestrant downregulates androgen receptor (AR) in LNCaP cancer cell lines to a significant extent, thereby inhibiting growth of tumor cells. In addition, it is important to emphasize that fulvestrant has also been found to decrease growth of AR-negative prostate cancer cells. These observations provide the rational for using fulvestrant for the treatment of AIPC and HRPC.
The purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with fulvestrant leads to a slowing of tumor progression in patients who have developed androgen-independent (AIPC) or hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) and who have a rising serum prostate specific antigen (PSA).