Novel prospective randomized controlled observations addressing combination therapy in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) have demonstrated promising overall survival (OS) outcomes.
To compare these novel findings and systematically review and address them within formal network meta-analyses (NMAs) that include observations from other prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
First, we focused on abiraterone, enzalutamide, apalutamide, and docetaxel effects on OS in mHSPC using the PRISMA methodology. PubMed and abstracts identified prospective RCTs in first-line mHSPC. Second, we focused on mature studies that reached median OS and tested OS between abiraterone and docetaxel with tumor burden stratification.
The first part included seven studies (n = 6639) and the second part, five studies (n = 4462). In the first part, abiraterone ranked first for high-volume mHSPC. Conversely, enzalutamide ranked first for low-volume mHSPC. In the second part, abiraterone treatment in high-volume mHSPC resulted in median OS of 50.1 mo and exceeded that with docetaxel (45.9 mo) and ADT alone (34.0 mo). Docetaxel treatment in low volume mHSPC resulted in median OS of 69.5 mo versus 67.7 mo with ADT alone.
In conventional NMA that relied on conventional hazard ratios, differences were identified with respect to the relative efficacy of the combination therapies examined; abiraterone dominated the alternatives in high-volume mHSPC. In part two, which relied on trials for which median OS is available, comparison of abiraterone versus docetaxel revealed a 4-mo difference in OS in high-volume mHSPC. Conventional NMA may have overestimated the importance of treatment efficacy instead of focusing on median OS duration, which might represent a more important clinical endpoint.
We reviewed studies on hormonal treatments and chemotherapy used for prostate cancer that has spread outside the prostate gland (metastatic prostate cancer, mPC). We found that the best overall survival was with the hormone agents abiraterone in high-volume mPC and enzalutamide in low-volume mPC. In comparison to the chemotherapy drug docetaxel, median overall survival with abiraterone was 4 months longer among patients with mPC.
European urology focus. 2021 Apr 11 [Epub ahead of print]
Mike Wenzel, Christoph Würnschimmel, Luigi Nocera, Claudia Collà Ruvolo, Zhe Tian, Shahrokh F Shariat, Fred Saad, Alberto Briganti, Derya Tilki, Markus Graefen, Luis A Kluth, Frederik C Roos, Philipp Mandel, Felix K H Chun, Pierre I Karakiewicz
Department of Urology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, Division of Urology, University of Montreal Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada. Electronic address: ., Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, Division of Urology, University of Montreal Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada; Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany., Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, Division of Urology, University of Montreal Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Urology and Division of Experimental Oncology, Urological Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy., Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, Division of Urology, University of Montreal Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy., Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, Division of Urology, University of Montreal Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada., Department of Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Urology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; Institute for Urology and Reproductive Health, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; Division of Urology, Department of Special Surgery, Jordan University Hospital, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan., Department of Urology and Division of Experimental Oncology, Urological Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy., Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Urology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany., Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany., Department of Urology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.