An androgen receptor inhibitor was found to improve rates of metastasis-free survival among prostate cancer patients when combined with androgen deprivation therapy, according to a study published May 31 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The study was led by researchers from Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and followed 2,109 patients with newly diagnosed high-risk localized or locally advanced prostate cancer. About half of patients received androgen-deprivation therapy plus apalutamide while the other half received androgen-deprivation therapy and a placebo. Both groups of patients underwent radical prostatectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection.
In a follow-up period of up to five years 8.9% of patients who received androgen-deprivation therapy plus apalutamide had a pathological complete response or minimal residual disease, compared to 1% of the patients who received androgen-deprivation therapy and a placebo.
Similarly, 78.2% of patients who received the combination experienced metastasis-free survival after five years, compared to 73.5% in the placebo group.
“This is paradigm-shifting, because for many years patients with high-risk prostate cancer who walk in the door and don’t have metastatic disease, but are at risk of having metastatic disease, could either go right to surgery or could get hormones plus radiation. The problem is very often for high-risk patients the cancer comes back,” William Oh, MD, genitourinary oncologist, director of precision medicine at New Haven, Conn.-based Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital, and service line medical director of the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich (Conn.) Hospital, told Becker’s. “The reason it’s paradigm-shifting is that they’re already getting treatment, but by adding this extra pill, it improves the ability to get rid of the cancer and prevent metastasis down the road. It’s going to change the way we offer systemic treatment to men with high-risk localized prostate cancer.”
Read the full study here.
At the Becker's Perioperative Summit, taking place September 14–15 in Chicago, perioperative leaders and healthcare executives will focus on improving operating room efficiency, enhancing patient safety, optimizing staffing and driving innovation across surgical services. Apply for complimentary registration now.
