Dr. Burgess on Key Data in Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer

Earle Burgess, MD, associate professor of medicine, Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health, discusses pivotal clinical trials in metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer.

Researchers learned 4 years ago that the addition of docetaxel to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) improved overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic disease; this was reported in the pivotal phase III CHAARTED trial.

Conducted in the United Kingdom, the multi-arm STAMPEDE trial evaluated the addition of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) plus prednisone to ADT in patients with relapsed prostate cancer. This trial confirmed the findings of CHAARTED; the addition of chemotherapy to ADT improved patient outcomes, Burgess says.

The use of abiraterone acetate in combination with ADT has also been evaluated in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer. The randomized phase III LATITUDE trial showed that the addition of abiraterone acetate to ADT at the time of diagnosis improved overall survival in this patient population. This study led to the February 2018 FDA approval of abiraterone in combination with prednisone for high-risk patients.