Posted on 02/19/2022 9:26:02 AM PST by ConservativeMind
Results from an international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial indicate that adding the androgen-receptor inhibitor darolutamide to androgen-deprivation therapy and chemotherapy prolongs the survival of men with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, a disease that is fatal in most cases.
Standard treatment for patients with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer includes the addition of either the chemotherapy drug docetaxel or an androgen-receptor pathway inhibitor to androgen-deprivation therapy, with the latter two treatments acting to lower the effects of androgen hormones, such as testosterone. Clinical trials that have combined all three treatments have generated conflicting results. To provide clarity, investigators designed the large, international ARASENS Trial and randomly assigned 1,306 patients with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in a 1:1 ratio to receive the oral androgen-receptor inhibitor darolutamide or placebo, both in combination with androgen-deprivation therapy and docetaxel.
Survival rates in the two groups were compared after 533 patients had died. Patients were followed for a median of approximately 3.5 years, and those who received darolutamide had a 32.5% lower risk of dying during that time than patients not taking darolutamide. Patients taking darolutamide also experienced greater delays in developing castration-resistant prostate cancer (which no longer responds to treatments that lower testosterone), pain, and the need for other anti-cancer therapies. The combination of three medications did not result in more toxic effects compared with the combination of androgen-deprivation therapy and docetaxel alone.
"Despite progress in recent years, survival is short for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Results from ARASENS are an important step forward, and triplet therapy with darolutamide should become a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer," says lead author Matthew R. Smith, MD, Ph.D., an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
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Wow, there's a happy term.
Not the happiest sounding of phrases. I was diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer 7.5 years ago. It became castrate resistant after three years.
I have responded so well to ADT, Lupron and Xtandi, my oncologist is thinking about recommend studying why I and another of his patients still have undetectable PSAs after 7+ years.
When I was diagnosed, the average 5-year survival rate for my diagnosis was 5.4 years. The drug Xtandi only works for an average of six months. It’s still working for me after 3.5 years.
This article is totally worthless.
First of all, no man with hormone sensitive shoul be put on dovetail. The should be kept on androgen deprivation therapy, Lupron, until it stops working and then add either Zytiga with prednisone, or Xtandi.
Once that stops work, then chemotherapy is an option. Another option at that point is Xofigo.
The study mentioned in this article has no real life application. The study is putting lives at risk just so the doctor can claim he’s accomplished something when ha hasn’t.
You can just get castration and no more T. My father had to do that and ended up with a 0 PSA and no more problems. Sometimes that is the way you have to go.
These are people who are in a metastatic situation.
For lesser prostate cancers, perhaps your regimen would be sufficient.
Hormone sensitive means that androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is working.
Castrate resistant means that first line ADT is no longer working.
This doctor and hospital aren’t on the list of top cancer centers. MD Anderson, where I get treatment, is the number 1 cancer center in the world. Sloan-Kettering is a fairly close second. The ratings drop of from there, even for outstanding cancer centers.
My oncologist at MD Anderson really knows what he is doing.
The best strategy for advanced prostate cancer is to go with the next level of treatment for as long as possible. There does come a point where the combination of two treatments can be helpful. I am not amywhere near that point.
Chemotherapy does have a role in treating metastatic prostate cancer, but that is further down the road; and certainly not when it is still hormone sensative.
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