The following information was posted on another PCa newsgroup with the
request that it be shared...ron

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Phase II Study:  Treatment of Slow-Growing Recurrent Prostate Cancer
with Vitamin D3

We are initiating a new clinical trial testing the ability of vitamin
D3 to slow or arrest progression of prostate cancer recurrent after
surgery or radiation.

Prostate cancer is a very variable disease that can range from a
disease that is rapidly lethal to one that progresses so slowly that
it poses little risk to a patient's health. This issue has come to the
fore in several
recent studies of prostate cancer recurrent after radical
prostatectomy or radiation. These studies have shown that patients
with a PSA doubling time slower than 9 months have a 10-year mortality
of 15% or less. If the patient recurred more than 3 years after
initial treatment, 10-year mortality was typically 5% or less. In
2005, a pilot study reported that vitamin D3 supplementation arrested
progression in 9 out of 15 such patients. In this
study, patients were given 2000 IU of vitamin D3. The promise of this
paper is that cancer progression in these patients may be slowed or
arrested with a treatment with low risk and expense compared with most
cancer treatments.

Since people get vitamin D3 from the sun as well as pills, we think it
will be better to target a specific blood level rather than a fixed
dose.  In our study, we will target vitamin D3 blood levels typically
seen in young people
with daily intense sun exposure.

Study participants will be men age 40 years and older that fall into
either of these good prognosis groups:

(1)   Those who have a PSA doubling time of 9 months to 11.9 months
and

(2)   Those who have a PSA doubling time equal to or greater than 12
months

Additionally, the following criteria must be met for consideration:

*       Diagnosis of prostate cancer
*       At relapse after radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, a
PSA doubling time of 9 or more months
*       PSA at entry must be less than 15 ng/ml
*       No evidence of metastatic prostate cancer by CT or bone scan
*       Subject must be assessed by the investigator as likely to be
able to adhere to protocol

Inquiries may be directed to Joanne Mahanes, Director of Clinical
Research,
via email at jm.fcre@earthlink.net or by calling 434-220-4539.

Sincerely,
Charles "Snuffy" Myers, M.D.