Scientists presenting data at a recent symposium showcased how effective treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and enzalutamide can be for prostate cancer.
The One-Two Punch
Researchers presenting the findings of the ARCHES clinical trial at the 2019 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium have shown that anti-cancer drug enzalutamide, when combined with ADT, is a highly effective method of treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Based on these findings the medication, which is already marketed as a drug under the brand name Xtandi and is currently used to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate tumors, may soon become more widely prescribed in order to treat other types of prostate cancer as well.
The trial discovered that enzalutamide and ADT together delivered a strong one-two punch to patients diagnosed with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. When compared to patients who received ADT plus just a placebo, those treated with enzalutamide had a 61% improvement in the risk of progression or death over time at an average 14.4-month follow-up point, were event-free at 12 months at a higher rate (84% vs 64%), and an 81% improvement in the risk of higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.
Safe and Effective
The effectiveness of Xtandi when using it in conjunction with ADT to treat hormone-sensitive prostate cancers means there is now potentially one more tool doctors have to choose from when treating patients with these specific cancer types. Additionally, because the research findings indicate that side effect rates with enzalutamide are similar to those suffered by the trial’s control group, who were treated with ADT and a placebo, the drug is a safe treatment choice as well.
This is, of course, music to the ears of anyone who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is fearful of the possible side effects associated with treating the disease. Knowing that enzalutamide may be gentler on your overall health is likely to make you more willing to accept the treatment. While androgen deprivation therapy has its own side effects associated with it and has the potential to have a major impact, knowing that adding Xtandi into the mix will not make it significantly more likely to experience these side effects, or make them worse, is quite comforting.
