Darolutamide approved for nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Sometimes after finishing prostate cancer treatment, men get an unwelcome surprise: their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels creep higher, suggesting tumors too small to be seen lurk somewhere in the body. This leads to several options. Doctors can continue to monitor a man’s condition with imaging scans. Or, given the anxiety associated with rising PSA, they might try to lower the levels with chemically “castrating” drugs that inhibit testosterone, a hormone that makes prostate tumors grow faster. Following that treatment, called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), PSA generally declines and may become undetectable. But what if PSA climbs further despite ADT’s inhibiting effects on testosterone? This condition is called nonmetastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC). It’s called “nonmetastatic” because cancer hasn’t spread in a way that’s detectable with imaging technology. And it’s called “castration-resistant” because PSA isn’t responding to the chemically castrating effects of ADT on testosterone production. The condition is asymptomatic, but a third of the men who have nmCRPC develop metastases within two years. New choices Until recently, doctors had few options for treating nmCRPC, and there weren’t any clear guidelines. The typical strategy was to hold off until it was obvious a tumor was spreading as demonstrated by a positive bone scan or CT scan, and then give drugs approved for metastatic prostate cancer. However, thre...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Living With Prostate Cancer Treatments HPK Source Type: blogs