The 23rd Annual Prostate Cancer Foundation Scientific Retreat report

Targeted α Therapies for the Treatment of Bone Metastases

The skeleton is the target tissue for many types of tumors, and, recently, the survival of patients with prostate cancer metastasis has been increased using α-emitting drugs known as targeted α therapies. The use of α-radiopharmaceuticals in medicine was hypothesized at the beginning of the nineteenth century after the observation that α-radionuclides were associated with high cell-killing energy and low tissue penetration in healthy tissues. In the prostate cancer (PC) scenario, current research suggests that this class of radiopharmaceuticals has limited toxicity, and that the mechanism of action does not overlap with pre-existing drugs, allowing us to extend therapeutic armaments and address medical oncology towards personalized and precision medicine. Ongoing studies may extend these benefits also to bone metastases deriving from other neoplasms. The aim of this review is to summarize the current research on targeted α therapies and try to identify the right patient to be treated in the right time in order to integrate in these medications in the every-day clinical practice.

Beyond the androgen receptor II: New approaches to understanding and treating metastatic prostate cancer; Report from the 2017 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy Meeting

INTRODUCTION

The 2017 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy (CHPCA) Meeting, "Beyond the Androgen Receptor II: New Approaches to Understanding and Treating Metastatic Prostate Cancer," was held in Carlsbad, California from June 14-17, 2017.

METHODS

The CHPCA is an annual scientific conference hosted by the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) that is uniquely designed to produce extensive and constructive discussions on the most urgent and impactful topics concerning research into the biology and treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. The 2017 CHPCA Meeting was the 5th meeting in this annual series and was attended by 71 investigators focused on prostate cancer and a variety of other fields including breast and ovarian cancer.

RESULTS

The discussions at the meeting were concentrated on topics areas including: mechanisms and therapeutic approaches for molecular subclasses of castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), the epigenetic landscape of prostate cancer, the role of DNA repair gene mutations, advancing the use of germline genetics in clinical practice, radionuclides for imaging and therapy, advances in molecular imaging, and therapeutic strategies for successful use of immunotherapy in advanced prostate cancer.

DISCUSSION

This article reviews the presentations and discussions from the 2017 CHPCA Meeting in order to disseminate this knowledge and accelerate new biological understandings and advances in the treatment of patients with metastatic prostate cancer.