Strategies for First-Line Treatment of mCRPC

Abstract

At present, abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide are the most commonly used substances in the first-line treatment of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate carcinoma (mCRPC). Since the relevant pivotal trials have demonstrated comparable clinical efficacy for both substances, further factors should be considered for the choice of treatment. As mCRPC patients usually receive several lines of treatment, different adaptation and resistance mechanisms leading to treatment failure could be important. This is indicated by daily routine observations and some initial clinical studies on resistance and different sequences of therapy. However, until the clinical relevance has been confirmed, it is mostly adverse events and comorbidities that are taken into account for the choice of first-line therapy. Also potential interactions with comedications and patient preferences should be considered. In the first-line treatment of mCRPC, ongoing discussions not only centre around the choice of medication for first-line mCRPC therapy, but also around the point in time they are started. For abiraterone acetate, for example, there is confirmed evidence that patients may benefit from early use within the approved indication. If the clinical importance of the different resistance mechanisms and differences in efficacy of various sequences could be confirmed, this would be a strong argument for therapy decisions and should therefore be further analysed in prospective clinical studies.