Enzalutamide reduces skeletal-related events in men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a new study published in the journal Lancet Oncology, enzalutamide was found to decrease the risk of skeletal-related events, including radiotherapy to the bone and spinal cord compression, in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In addition, enzalutamide lowered pain and increased quality of life.

In the phase 3 AFFIRM study, patients with mCRPC whose disease progressed on or after docetaxel either took enzalutamide, an androgen receptor, by mouth once daily or placebo. Researchers found that enzalutamide decreased the risk of skeletal-related events by 31% compared with placebo (P=0.0001), and the duration to first skeletal-related event was 16.7 months for patients who took enzalutamide versus 13.3 months for those who took placebo (P=0.0001).

Furthermore, enzalutamide decreased pain severity (P<0.0001) and risk of pain progression (P=0.0018). Patients on enzalutamide experienced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) deterioration after 9.0 months, while those on placebo had HRQoL deterioration in 3.7 months (P<0.0001).

Xtandi (enzalutamide) was initially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012, and the FDA recently approved enzalutamide as first-line therapy for men with mCRPC.