Does Research from Clinical Trials in Metastatic Hormone-sensitive Prostate Cancer Treatment Translate into Access to Treatments for Patients in the "Real World"? A Systematic Review.

Since 2015 there have been major advances in the management of primary metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) following the publication of key clinical trials that demonstrated significant clinical benefits with docetaxel chemotherapy or novel hormone therapy (NHT) in addition to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Despite these advances, there is evidence to show that these treatments are not being utilised for mHSPC in clinical practice.

To determine the utilisation of docetaxel and NHT in mHSPC in routine practice and the determinants of variation in their use.

MEDLINE and Embase were searched systematically for studies on utilisation of treatments for primary mHSPC that were based on regional or national data sets and published after January 2005. Study results were summarised using a narrative synthesis.

Thirteen papers were included in the analysis, six full-text articles and seven abstracts, on studies that included a total of 166 876 patients. The utilisation rate of treatment intensification with either docetaxel or NHT (enzalutamide, apalutamide, or abiraterone) in addition to ADT ranged from 9.3% to 38.1% across the studies. Younger, White patients with fewer comorbidities and living in more urban settings were more likely to be prescribed treatment intensification. Patients treated in private academic institutions by oncologists were more likely to receive docetaxel or NHT. Socioeconomic status did not impact receipt of systemic therapy. NHT utilisation rates appear to have increased over time.

These results highlight the need to change the approach to the treatment of primary mHSPC in the real world by harnessing the practice-changing results from recent trials in this setting to optimise upfront systemic therapy for this patient population.

We reviewed the use of treatments for primary metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer that showed a benefit in key clinical trials. We found that these treatments are underused, particularly among certain patient groups.

European urology oncology. 2023 Jun 27 [Epub ahead of print]

Joanna Dodkins, Julie Nossiter, Adrian Cook, Heather Payne, Noel Clarke, Jan van der Meulen, Ajay Aggarwal

Clinical Effectiveness Unit, Royal College of Surgeons, London, UK; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. Electronic address: ., Clinical Effectiveness Unit, Royal College of Surgeons, London, UK; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK., Clinical Effectiveness Unit, Royal College of Surgeons, London, UK., Clinical Effectiveness Unit, Royal College of Surgeons, London, UK; Department of Oncology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK., Clinical Effectiveness Unit, Royal College of Surgeons, London, UK; Department of Urology, The Christie and Salford Royal Hospitals, Manchester, UK., London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Oncology, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

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