The phase III ACIS trial met its primary endpoint at 6 months showing that apalutamide plus abiraterone acetate/prednisone (AAP) extended radiographic progression-free survival vs abiraterone acetate/prednisone alone in patients with chemotherapy-naive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.¹ An updated analysis performed at 4.5 years found that AAP continued to result in a similar reduction in radiographic-free survival vs abiraterone acetate/prednisone alone. However, there was no difference in overall survival between patients who received AAP vs abiraterone acetate/prednisone. All patients were on background androgen-deprivation therapy at baseline.

A dose-intensified approach to salvage radiotherapy failed to show superiority to a conventional-dose strategy in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer who had undergone radical prostatectomy, according to the phase III SAKK 09/10 trial presented at the 2021 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.¹ The higher dose also was associated with a risk of increased gastrointestinal toxicity.

Following disease progression on docetaxel, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radionuclide therapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 37% vs cabazitaxel in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the TheraP phase II trial reported at the 2021 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.¹ Lutetium-177–labeled PSMA-617 (LuPSMA)-treated patients had fewer toxicities and improved quality of life compared with those who received cabazitaxel. Overall survival data are not yet mature. Data were published in The Lancet to coincide with the presentation at the meeting.²

In a study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Dee et al found that the rate of refusal of provider-recommended locoregional treatment for localized prostate adenocarcinoma has increased over time, with Black and Asian men with intermediate- or higher-risk disease being more likely to refuse such treatment vs White men.

One in six men being treated for advanced prostate cancer reported experiencing a reduced sense of smell and taste, according to a study published by Alonzi et al in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer. The study authors noted that a reduced sense of smell and taste among some patients with prostate cancer may be associated with poor appetite and weight loss.