Abiraterone’s benefits confirmed

Highlights from the Canadian Urological Association Annual Meeting, Montreal, June 2011

A large, international Phase III study presented at the CUA confirmed the benefits of abiraterone as a further step after docetaxel chemotherapy for men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC; refers to prostate cancer that has spread to other sites and no longer responds to androgen deprivation therapy [ADT]). Abiraterone is a targeted therapy that completely blocks androgen production. The authors reported that the drug, given along with prednisone, was well tolerated and improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and radiological response, which translates to more time and better quality of life for men with advanced prostate cancer. Based on positive outcomes from Phase II and III clinical trials, including a landmark trial recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, abiraterone has received approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for men with mCRPC following docetaxel treatment. This news has been anxiously awaited by physicians and patients alike, and will hopefully be followed by similar approval by Health Canada very soon.