Optimizing outcomes of advanced prostate cancer: drug sequencing and novel therapeutic approaches

Abstract

The rapid approval of several novel agents has given prostate cancer patients and their treating physicians many new and effective therapeutic options. Three new medical therapies were recently approved on the basis of prolonged overall survival in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients: sipuleucel-T (Provenge), cabazitaxel (Jevtana), and abiraterone acetate (Zytiga). Additionally, there are several other promising prostate cancer agents in late-stage development, including MDV3100, PROSTVAC-VF (Prostvac), orteronel (TAK-700), and radium-223 chloride (Alpharadin), each with a novel mechanism of action. Taken together, we have entered a period of accelerated drug development and optimism in the care of advanced prostate cancer. The treatment paradigm for these patients is rapidly evolving, with future study needed to define the optimal sequencing and potential combinations of these new agents.