Advanced prostate Ca treatment shows long-term efficacy

Long-term use of degarelix (Firmagon), a gonadotropin-releasing hormone therapy approved for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer in both Europe and the United States, continues to be effective and well tolerated beyond 3 years, according a recent study.

The new study (CS21A), which was published in the Journal of Urology (2011; 186:889-97), extends the conclusions of the phase III study in which the risk of PSA failure or death was significantly lower in patients on degarelix compared with leuprolide up to 1 year.

The extension study has now shown that for patients who remained on degarelix, PSA suppression and the effects on PSA progression-free survival remained consistent over the long term (42 months), researchers say.

In addition, the study looked at patients who crossed over from leuprolide to degarelix after 1 year. At a median follow-up of 27.5 months, the data showed that the risk of PSA progression-free survival had decreased (p=.003).

Following the close of the phase III trial, all patients were offered the option to receive degarelix as part of the extension study. All patients who had received degarelix continued with their treatment, and those who had previously been treated with leuprolide were re-randomized to receive degarelix.

"Being able to delay castration resistance for as long as possible is an important outcome for any first-line therapy," said first author E. David Crawford, MD, of the University of Colorado, Denver. "The data from the phase III extension study demonstrate that degarelix provided prostate cancer patients with fast and effective testosterone and PSA control over the long term, which may in turn delay castration resistance."