33% more efficient

The drug saves a third of prostate cancer patients from death

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

A group of American and Canadian scientists presented the results of the third phase of clinical trials, proving the effectiveness of the drug apalutamide (apalutamide) to reduce mortality among patients with prostate cancer. The use of apalutamide reduced mortality by 33% compared to standard treatment.

The results of the work are published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Chi et al., Apalutamide for Metastatic, Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer) – VM.

The study involved more than 1,000 patients from 230 medical institutions around the world. The main goal of the scientists was to test the effectiveness of the drug in combination with an already proven treatment for men in the last stages of the disease.

In addition to significantly reducing the risks of mortality, the drug also delayed the progression of cancer and increased the time required for a course of chemotherapy.

Today, prostate tumor therapy standards include drugs that block the production of testosterone by malignant cells, which slows down the spread of metastases. They are prescribed in combination with chemotherapy. However, both methods cause serious side effects.

Apalutamide belongs to a class of drugs that acts differently – by blocking androgen receptors. These receptors are part of a complex mechanism used by cells in a number of biological processes to regulate testosterone levels.

The results may change the treatment methods of the vast majority of men with advanced prostate cancer, the authors believe.

Today, the survival rate in men with a prostate tumor is almost 100% when cancer is detected in the early stages, but with the spread of metastases, the five-year survival rate decreases to 30%.

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