Top 10 prostate cancer stories in 2023

There’s been an abundance of news surrounding prostate cancer advances over the last year. In honor of these breakthroughs, Urology Times® is highlighting our top content on prostate cancer from 2023.

FDA approves enzalutamide for nonmetastatic CSPC

In November 2023, the FDA approved enzalutamide (Xtandi) for use with or without a GnRH analog therapy for the treatment of patients with nonmetastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer with biochemical recurrence at high risk for metastasis. The approval was based on findings from the phase 3 EMBARK trial (NCT02319837), which showed that enzalutamide plus leuprolide reduced the risk of metastasis or death by 58% compared with placebo plus leuprolide in this patient population (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.30-0.61; P < .001). Read more on the approval here.

ProtecT trial researchers: Active monitoring yields same outcomes as radical treatment in prostate cancer

In an interview with Urology Times, Freddie C. Hamdy, FRCS, FMedSci, and Jenny L. Donovan, PhD, FMedSci, shared the 15-year clinical and patient-reported outcomes from the ProtecT trial (NCT02044172), which suggest that many patients with localized prostate cancer can delay surgery or radiation without increasing their mortality risk. Read their full discussion here.

177Lu-PNT2002 shows initial safety and efficacy in mCRPC

Reported topline results from the phase 3 SPLASH trial (NCT04647526) show initial safety and efficacy of 177Lu-PNT2002, an investigational prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand therapy, in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have progressed following treatment with androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI). Overall, 177Lu-PNT2002 demonstrated a median radiographic progression-free survival of 9.5 months, compared with 6.0 months among patients in the control arm, who were treated with an ARPI. Read more on the initial findings here.

EpiSwitch Prostate Screening blood test launches on US market

In September 2023, the EpiSwitch Prostate Screening (PSE) blood test was clinically validated and became available to men in the US being screened for prostate cancer. The PSE test was shown to improve the predictive accuracy of a standard PSA test from 55% to 94%. Read more here.

Dr. Dallos discusses emerging treatments in the mCRPC paradigm

At the 16th Annual Interdisciplinary Prostate Cancer Congress® and Other Genitourinary Malignancies, Matthew Dallos, MD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discussed emerging treatment options for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Antibody-drug conjugates, including those targeting PSMA, are among the next wave of treatment advances in mCRPC, Dallos noted. Read more on the session here.

Minimizing incontinence after radical prostatectomy: Lessons learned

Ricardo Soares, MD, discusses the techniques he and other experts employ to minimize incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Soares is a urologist with Northwestern Medicine in Chicago (Western suburbs), Illinois. Read his full discussion here.

Plant-based diets linked to lower risk of prostate cancer progression and recurrence

Findings shared during the 2023 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium showed that patients with prostate cancer whose diets included the highest amounts of plants had a lower risk of disease progression and recurrence. Data showed that plant-based diets were associated with improved outcomes, as the group of patients with the highest consumption of plant-based foods had a 52% lower risk of disease progression compared with the group of patients with diets that included the lowest amounts of plants (HR, 0.48; p-trend < .001). Read more on the findings here.

Study evaluates patient experiences with biopsy-based genomic testing during active surveillance

Michael S. Leapman, MD, MHS, discusses a qualitative descriptive study comprised of in-depth, semi-structured interviews of patients with low- or favorable-intermediate-risk prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance. The interviews were designed to gain an understanding of the patients’ experiences with biopsy-based genomic testing as they made decisions regarding the management of their prostate cancer. Read the full interview here.

Monitoring, feedback, and financial incentives improve uptake of active surveillance

Badar M. Mian, MD, discusses a report from the Michigan Urologic Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC) that describes the results of a previously deployed initiative to define and implement quality metrics and improve active surveillance (AS) utilization rates in patients with favorable risk prostate cancer. The authors compared AS rates from the MUSIC registry with those from the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Read the full discussion here.

Phase 3 ARASTEP study to investigate darolutamide plus ADT for hormone-sensitive prostate cancer

In March 2023, the phase 3 ARASTEP study was initiated to investigate the efficacy of darolutamide (Nubeqa) plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) vs ADT alone in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. The randomized trial is expected to enroll 750 patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Read more on the study here.

You can view all of our content surrounding advances in prostate cancer here.