In a nutshell
This study evaluated if the benefit of adding abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) + prednisone (Deltasone) to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) in treating metastatic, castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) would be maintained in patients treated with ADT alone. This study concluded that this treatment improved patients’ survival in these patients.
Some background
15-25% of patients who are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer have metastatic disease. This was previously treated with ADT, a hormonal therapy. ADT involves castration which makes the testes non-functional.
It was previously found that patients whose cancer is manageable by castration (or castration sensitive), can survive longer on ADT plus abiraterone acetate (AA) and prednisone (P) treatment. AA is a hormonal therapy that works differently compared to ADT. P is a corticosteroid used together with AA in prostate cancer treatment. Due to these good results, patients treated with ADT alone were allowed to switch to ADT plus AA and P. It was not known if the benefits of AA+P+ADT would be maintained in patients who switched to this treatment from ADT alone.
Methods & findings
The study included men who were newly diagnosed with mCSPC. They were part of a large study involving AA+P+ADT treatment. This analysis included 112 men from this large study who were given placebos in combination with ADT for an average of 40 months. Of these, 72 patients switched to AA+P+ADT because of the treatment’s benefit. They were followed up for an average of 51.8 months.
The risk of death was 34% lower in the AA+P+ADT group compared to those who remained on placebo + ADT. Patients survived an average of 53.3 months with ADT+AA+P compared to 36.5 months with ADT and placebo.
The bottom line
The study concluded that adding AA+P to ADT in patients with newly detected mCSPC improves survival in ADT alone-treated patients.
Published By :
Targeted oncology
Date :
Nov 21, 2019
