New Drug โขCombination Showsโ Promise in Delaying Advanced โขProstate Cancer Progression
LONDON – A new โcombination therapy featuring the drugโข niraparib has demonstratedโฃ significant benefits in delayingโ the progression of advanced cancer-thoughts/” title=”Glutamine: The Surprising Link to Prostate … -thoughts?”>prostate cancer, โคparticularly in patients with alterations โฃin homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes, according to resultsโค fromโ the Phase 3 AMPLITUDE trial published โin Nature Medicine. The โคfindings, announced โฃby University College โLondon (UCL) researchers, suggestโฃ a potential new standardโ of careโฃ for a subset of menโ whose disease โฃrapidly recurs despite conventional treatments.
Currently, standard treatments are effective for most patients with advanced prostate โฃcancer, but a notable proportion experience limited benefit. The study revealed thatโข adding niraparib โto abiraterone acetate plus prednisone โคdelayed cancer progression by 34% in all patients and by 48% in those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 โmutations.
Researchers alsoโ found the time untilโ symptoms โคworsenedโ wasโค doubledโ forโ patients receiving niraparib compared to placebo, โขreducing symptomatic worsening from 34% to 16%. A trend toward improved overallโ survivalโค was observed, though longer follow-up is needed to confirm a life โexpectancy benefit.
“We now know that prostate cancers with alterations in HRR genes โaccountโ for a significant group of patients whose disease โrecurs quickly โand has an โฃaggressiveโค course,” explained Professor Gerhardtโค Attard of the UCL Cancer Institute. “By โcombining with niraparib we canโข delay the cancer returning and hopefully considerably prolonging life expectancy.”
while generally well-tolerated,โค niraparib was associated with more side effects, including โincreased instances of โขanaemia and โhigh โขblood pressure. 25% of patientsโ required blood transfusions, and treatment-related deaths were higher in the niraparib group (14 versus 7). Though, overall discontinuationโ rates remained low.
“Theseโ findings are striking because they support widespread genomic testing at diagnosis with use of a targeted treatment for patients who stand to derive the greatest benefit,” attard stated. he recommendsโฃ doctors consider discussing the risks and benefits of niraparibโ withโ patients whose cancers have a mutation in an eligible HRR โgene.
Prostate cancer is a global health concern, with approximately 1.5 million menโ diagnosed โannually. in the UK, it is the most common cancer in men, resulting in over 56,000 diagnoses โฃand around 12,000 โคdeaths each year.
The AMPLITUDE trialโข was sponsored โคby Janssen Research & Development, part ofโค Johnson & Johnson.