Improved survival with enzalutamide in patients with metastatic hormone- resistant prostate cancer (mHSPC)

In a large multinational, multiinstitutional clinical trial, researchers investigated the combination of enzalutamide and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to enhance cancer patients’ survival and delay disease progression. The results showed that enzalutamide plus ADT improved radiographic progression-free survival compared to using ADT plus a placebo. While the overall survival data was not fully complete at the initial report, further analysis in the phase III trial called ARCHES revealed promising outcomes.

The study followed 1,150 patients with mHSPC and demonstrated that enzalutamide plus ADT significantly prolonged the survival of patients when compared to ADT alone. The analysis indicated that patients who received enzalutamide plus ADT experienced a 34% reduced risk of death compared to those on the ADT plus placebo. Moreover,enzalutamide plus ADT consistently improved other measures of treatment effectiveness.

The researchers also noted that the side effects of enzalutamide were appreciable and in line with what had been previously reported for long-term use of this drug.

J Clin Oncol. 2022 May 20;40(15):1616-1622. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.00193. Epub 2022 Apr 14.