Dr. Sartor on the Significance of the REASSURE Trial in mCRPC

A. Oliver Sartor, MD, a professor of medicine and the medical director of the Tulane Cancer Center and the Bernadine Laborde Professor of Cancer Research in the Department of Urology at Tulane University, discusses the significance of the REASSURE trial in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

In the global observational trial, investigators are examining the safety of radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) in routine clinical practice over 7 years of follow up in this patient population. A second prespecified interim analysis of the trial focused on outcomes of patients who received lutetium-177 PSMA-617 (177Lu-PSMA) following radium-223. What was understood from the study of this registry is that a series of patients did receive sequential radiopharmaceuticals—alpha and beta particles, which were given in sequence, says Sartor. This is important because no prior data are available on this. Although it is difficult to discern whether there was activity with the approach, no safety signals were identified, adds Sartor.

The results from the trial presented during the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program are not particularly exciting, Sartor explains, they are still important in that they indicate that 177Lu-PSMA and radium-223 can be used sequentially without undo harm. Prospective trials will need to be conducted to properly determine which patients might or might not benefit from this approach and whether any toxicities that were not recognized do exist, says Sartor. This research is very preliminary, but it is the first step, that is what makes it important, concludes Sartor.