“The durability of PSA response is encouraging [with ARN-509], as is the toxicity data, but these are relatively asymptomatic patients,” said formal discussant William Oh, MD, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Professor of Medicine and Urology, and the Ezra M. Greenspan, MD, Professor in Clinical Cancer Therapeutics at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

“The data in mice showed that this agent had a greater effect in prostate cancer models than MDV3100, but it is too soon to say whether more potent androgen receptor inhibition seen in mice will translate to benefits for our patients. It is also too early to tell whether the effects of this drug will be clinically meaningful, but my instinct tells me it will be incrementally better than the recently approved antiandrogen agents.” ■

Disclosure: Dr. Oh is a consultant for Medivation, Astellas, and Janssen.