Real-World Treatment Patterns in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Across Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and Japan

Quality of Life Evaluation in Patients with Follicular Cell Lymphoma: A Real-World Study in Europe and the United States

INTRODUCTION

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), characterized by a long natural course of remissions/relapses. We aimed to evaluate real-world quality of life (QoL) in patients with FL, by line of therapy (LOT), and across countries.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the Adelphi FL Disease Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey of physicians and their patients in Europe [France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK)], and the United States (US) from June 2021 to January 2022. Patients provided demographics and patient-reported outcomes via the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Bivariate analysis assessed QoL versus NHL, across LOT [first line (1L), second line (2L), third line or later (3L+)] and country.

RESULTS

Patients (n = 401) had a mean [standard deviation (SD)] age of 66.0 (9.24) years, 58.1% were male, and 41.9%/22.9% were Ann Arbor stage III/IV. Patients with FL mean EORTC global health status (GHS)/QoL, nausea/vomiting, pain, dyspnea, appetite loss, and diarrhea scores were statistically significantly worse (p < 0.05) versus the NHL reference values. Mean (SD) GHS/QoL worsened from 1L [56.5 (22.21)] to 3L+ [50.4 (20.11)]. Physical and role functioning, fatigue, pain, dyspnea, and diarrhea scores also significantly worsened across later LOTs (p < 0.05). Across all functional domains, mean scores were significantly lower (p < 0.05) and almost all symptom scores (excluding diarrhea) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) for European versus US patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with FL at later LOTs had significantly worse scores in most QoL aspects than earlier LOTs. European patients had significantly lower functioning and higher symptom burden than in the US. These real-world findings highlight the need for novel FL therapies that alleviate patient burden, positively impacting QoL.

A global phase II randomized trial comparing oral taxane ModraDoc006/r to intravenous docetaxel in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer

STUDY AIM

ModraDoc006, an oral formulation of docetaxel, is co-administered with the cytochrome P450-3A4 and P-glycoprotein inhibitor, ritonavir (r): ModraDoc006/r. The preliminary efficacy and safety of oral ModraDoc006/r was evaluated in a global randomized phase II trial and compared to the current standard chemotherapy regimen of intravenous (i.v.) docetaxel and prednisone.

METHODS

103 mCRPC patients, chemotherapy-naïve with/without abiraterone and/or enzalutamide pretreated, with adequate organ function and evaluable disease per RECIST v1.1 and PCWG3 guidelines were randomized 1:1 into two cohorts. In Cohort 1, 49 patients received docetaxel 75 mg/m2 i.v. every 3 weeks (Q3W). In Cohort 2, 52 patients received ModraDoc006/r; 21 patients with a starting dose of ModraDoc006 30 mg with ritonavir 200 mg in the morning and ModraDoc006 20 mg with ritonavir 100 mg in the evening (30-20/200-100 mg) bi-daily-once-weekly (BIDW) on Days 1, 8, and 15 of a 21-day cycle. To alleviate tolerability, the starting dose was amended to ModraDoc006/r 20-20/200-100 mg in another 31 patients. All patients received prednisone 10 mg daily. Primary endpoint was rPFS.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in rPFS between the 2 arms (p = 0.1465). Median rPFS was 9.5 months and 11.1 months (95% CI) for ModraDoc006/r and i.v. docetaxel, respectively. Partial response was noted in 44.1% and 38.7% measurable disease patients, and 50% decline of PSA was seen in 23 (50%) and 26 (56.5%) evaluable cases treated with ModraDoc006/r and i.v. docetaxel, respectively. The safety profile of ModraDoc006/r 20-20/200-100 mg dose was significantly better than i.v. docetaxel, with mild (mostly Grade 1) gastrointestinal toxicities, no hematologic adverse events, and neuropathy and alopecia incidence of 11.5% and 25%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

ModraDoc006/r potentially represents a widely applicable, convenient, effective, and better tolerated oral taxane therapy option for mCRPC. Further investigation of ModraDoc006/r in a large randomized trial is warranted.

Second-line treatment options in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after progression on first-line androgen-receptor targeting therapies: A systematic review and Bayesian network analysis

OBJECTIVE

To summarize and indirectly compare the efficacy and safety of different second-line systematic therapies after first-line androgen-receptor targeting therapies (ARTs) for biomarker-unselected metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.

METHODS

Studies published in English up to May 2023 were identified in PubMed, Web of Science and ASCO-GU 2023. Studies accessing the efficacy and safety of second-line systematic therapies after first-line ARTs for biomarker-unselected mCRPC patients were eligible for current systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA).

RESULTS

Thirty-two studies with 5388 patients and 10 unique treatment modalities met our inclusion criteria. Current evidence suggested that docetaxel (DOC) combined with the same ART as first-line (ART1) (ART1 + DOC) were associated with significantly improved PSA response, PSA progression-free survival (PFS) and clinical or radiographic PFS (rPFS) compared with other reported second-line systematic therapies, including DOC. An increase in toxicity was observed with ART1 + DOC. Our NMA indicated that DOC monotherapy was only inferior to ART1 + DOC in improvement disease outcomes. The incidence of toxicity between patients received second-line DOC and an alternative ART (ART2) was similar.

CONCLUSION

The available evidence reviewed in our work suggested a clinical benefit of DOC nomotherapy and DOC plus ART1 as the second-line systematic therapy for biomarker-unselected mCRPC patients progressed on a first-line ART. More studies and RCTs are needed to evaluate the optimal second-line treatments for mCRPC patients with one prior first-line ART.

Management of patients with localized prostate cancer and biochemical recurrence in Spain: A medical survey

INTRODUCTION

The management of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) is established in clinical practice guidelines, which are based on randomized studies according to the level of evidence. In Spain, the degree of compliance with these guidelines in clinical practice is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the profiles of PCa patients at the time of diagnosis and the management of patients with localized PCa and those with BCR in Spain.

MATERIALS & METHODS

A medical survey was conducted in specialized care (85 urologists [UROs], 64 radiation oncologists [ROs], and 21 medical oncologists [MOs]). Three questionnaires were developed for this study with 22 (UROs and ROs) or 21 questions (MOs).

RESULTS

The annual incidence of PCa was 24,057 in participating hospitals (N = 131). The extrapolated annual incidence in Spain is 40,531 cases. The estimated prevalence of PCa in Spain is 221,689. Of note, 79% and 80% of patients seen by UROs and ROs, respectively had localized PCa at diagnosis. Biopsy was the most used diagnostic test among the three specialties, followed by abdominopelvic computer tomography. More than 90% of patients with BCR underwent standard tests. Next generation imaging tests and PET-choline/PSMA are still used residually. Most patients with localized PCa are currently treated with either surgery or radiotherapy, while for BCR patients, UROs and ROs prefer radiotherapy and MOs androgen deprivation therapy alone or in combination.

CONCLUSION

This study describes patient profiles at the time of diagnosis and provides an overview of the current therapeutic management of localized PCa and BCR in clinical practice in Spain.

Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes Among Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer Harboring Homologous Recombination Repair Mutations

BACKGROUND

There is currently limited literature assessing the real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and homologous recombination repair (HRR) mutations.

METHODS

Medical charts were abstracted for mCRPC patients with ≥ 1 of 12 HRR somatic gene alterations treated at US oncology centers participating in the American Association for Cancer Research Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange. Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes were assessed from the initiation of first-line or later (1L+) mCRPC therapy received on or after July 1, 2014.

RESULTS

Among 138 patients included in the study, the most common somatic HRR mutations were CDK12 (47.8%), BRCA2 (22.5%), and ATM (21.0%). Novel hormonal therapy and taxane chemotherapy were most commonly used in 1L; taxane use increased in later lines. Median overall survival (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 36.3 (30.7-47.8) months from initiation of 1L therapy and decreased for subsequent lines. Similarly, there was a trend of decreasing progression-free survival and prostate-specific antigen response from 1L to 4L+ therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment patterns identified in this study were similar to those among patients with mCRPC regardless of tumor HRR mutation status in the literature.

Cancer Care by Committee to be Superseded by Personal Physician-Patient Partnership Informed by Artificial Intelligence

Multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) have become the reference standard of cancer management, founded upon randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence-based guidelines. The inordinate delays inherent in awaiting formal regulatory agency approvals of novel therapeutic agents, and the rigidities and nongeneralizability of this regimented approach, often deny cancer patients timely access to effective innovative treatment. Reluctance of MTBs to accept theranostic care of patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer resulted in decades of delay in the incorporation of 177Lu-octreotate and 177Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) into routine clinical oncology practice. Recent developments in immunotherapy and molecular targeted precision therapy, based on N-of-One individual multifactorial genome analyses, have greatly increased the complexity of decision-making. Burgeoning specialist workload and tight time frames now threaten to overwhelm the logistically, and emotionally, demanding MTB system. It is hypothesized that the advent of advanced artificial intelligence technology and Chatbot natural language algorithms will shift the cancer care paradigm from a MTB management model toward a personal physician-patient shared-care partnership for real-world practice of precision individualized holistic oncology.

Treatment landscape and burden of disease in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: systematic and structured literature reviews

Purpose

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a lethal disease that imposes a major burden on patients and healthcare systems. Three structured literature reviews (treatment guidelines, treatment landscape, and human/clinical/patient burden) and one systematic literature review (economic burden) were conducted to better understand the disease burden and unmet needs for patients with late-stage mCRPC, for whom optimal treatment options are unclear.

Methods

Embase®, MEDLINE®, MEDLINE® In-Process, the CENTRAL database (structured and systematic reviews), and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination database (systematic review only) were searched for English-language records from 2009 to 2021 to identify mCRPC treatment guidelines and studies related to the treatment landscape and the humanistic/economic burden of mCRPC in adult men (aged ≥18 years) of any ethnicity.

Results

In total, six records were included for the treatment patterns review, 14 records for humanistic burden, nine records for economic burden, three records (two studies) for efficacy, and eight records for safety. Real-world treatment patterns were broadly aligned with treatment guidelines and provided no optimal treatment sequencing beyond second line other than palliative care. Current post-docetaxel treatments in mCRPC are associated with adverse events that cause relatively high rates of treatment discontinuation or disruption. The humanistic and economic burdens associated with mCRPC are high.

Conclusion

The findings highlight a lack of treatment options with novel mechanisms of action and more tolerable safety profiles that satisfy a risk-to-benefit ratio aligned with patient needs and preferences for patients with late-stage mCRPC. Treatment approaches that improve survival and health-related quality of life are needed, ideally while simultaneously reducing costs and healthcare resource utilization.

HTA and Reimbursement Status of Metastatic Hormone‑Sensitive Prostate Cancer, Non-Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, and Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Treatments in Europe: A Patient Access Landscape Review

Background: Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, with up to one-third of men being diagnosed in their lifetime. Recently, novel therapies have received regulatory approval with significant improvement in overall survival for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, and nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. To improve decision-making regarding the value of anticancer therapies and support standardized assessment for use by health technology assessment (HTA) agencies, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has developed a Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (MCBS). Objective: This review aimed to map HTA status, reimbursement restrictions, and patient access for 3 advanced prostate cancer indications across 23 European countries during 2011-2021. Methods: HTA, country reimbursement lists, and ESMO-MCBS scorecards were reviewed for evidence and data across 26 European countries. Results: The analysis demonstrated that only in Greece, Germany, and Sweden was there full access across all included prostate cancer treatments. Treatments available for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer were widely reimbursed, with both abiraterone and enzalutamide accessible in all countries. In 3 countries (Hungary, the Netherlands, and Switzerland), there was a statistically significant difference (P<.05) between status of reimbursement and ESMO-MCBS "substantial benefit" (score of 4 or 5) vs "no substantial benefit" (score <4). Conclusion: Overall, the impact of the ESMO-MCBS on reimbursement decisions in Europe is unclear, with significant variation across the countries included in this review.

Triplet Therapy in Metastatic Castrate Sensitive Prostate Cancer (mCSPC)-A Potential New Standard of Care

The treatment paradigm for metastatic castrate-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) has evolved rapidly in the past decade with the approval of several life-prolonging therapies including docetaxel chemotherapy and multiple androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI) in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Recently reported phase-three trials have demonstrated a survival benefit of upfront triplet therapy with ADT, docetaxel plus either abiraterone acetate or darolutamide when compared to ADT plus docetaxel alone. However, multiple questions including the incremental benefit of docetaxel to a combination of ADT and ARPI, the timing of ARPI, optimal patient selection for triplet therapy and clinical and genomic biomarkers still remain to be answered. Moreover, real-world data suggest suboptimal treatment intensification with many patients treated with ADT alone highlighting challenges in implementation. In this article, we review the phase-three data associated with triplet therapy in mCSPC. We also discuss the knowledge gaps that exist despite the completion of these studies and how ongoing studies are likely to change the paradigm in the near future. Finally, we provide a simple algorithm based on current data that clinicians can use in daily practice to select patients for appropriate treatment strategies.

Development of castration resistance in prostate cancer patients treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogues (LHRHa): results of the ANARESISTANCE study

Purpose

Evaluate the percentage of patients with prostate cancer treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogues (LHRHa) that develop castration resistance after a follow-up period of 3 years. The secondary objective is to evaluate the variables potentially related to the progression to castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Methods

A post-authorization, nation-wide, multicenter, prospective, observational, and longitudinal study that included 416 patients treated with LHRHa between 2012 and 2017 is presented. Patients were followed for 3 years or until development of CRPC, thus completing a per-protocol population of 350 patients. A Cox regression analysis was carried out to evaluate factors involved in progression to CRPC.

Results

After 3 years of treatment with LHRHa 18.2% of patients developed CRPC. In contrast, in the subgroup analysis, 39.6% of the metastatic patients developed CRPC, compared with 8.8% of the non-metastatic patients. The patients with the highest risk of developing CRPC were those with a nadir prostate-specific antigen (PSA) > 2 ng/ml (HR 21.6; 95% CI 11.7–39.8; p < 0.001) and those receiving concomitant medication, most commonly bicalutamide (HR 1.8; 95% CI 1–3.1, p = 0.0431).

Conclusions

The proportion of metastatic patients developing CRPC after 3 years of treatment with LHRHa is consistent with what has been previously described in the literature. In addition, this study provides new findings on CRPC in non-metastatic patients. Concomitant medication and nadir PSA are statistically significant predictive factors for the time to diagnosis of CRPC, the nadir PSA being the strongest predictor.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00345-022-04108-x.

Factors influencing survival in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer therapy

INTRODUCTION

The number of patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is expecting to increase due to the long-life expectancy of those with advanced disease who are also more commonly diagnosed today because of stage migration. Several compounds are available for treating these patients.

AREAS COVERED

We reviewed currently available treatments for mCRPC, their mechanism of action and resistance and we explored possible predictors of treatment success useful to predict survival in mCRPC patients.

EXPERT OPINION

A combination of molecular, clinical, pathological, and imaging features is necessary to correctly estimate patients' risk of death. The combination of these biomarkers may allow clinicians to tailor treatments based on cancer history and patients' features. The search of predictive biomarkers remains an unmet medical need for most patients with mCRPC.