Treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer with radium-223: a retrospective study at a US tertiary oncology center

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, 2020

Since 2013, radium-223 has been an approved treatment for metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Currently, however, there are no guidelines as to whether to treat mCRPC patients with radium-223 before or after chemotherapy. An Analysis Group team led by Managing Principal Mei Sheng Duh, and including Senior Analyst Mu Cheng, partnered with researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the University of California San Diego, and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals to analyze the sequencing of radium-223 treatment in a retrospective longitudinal study of Dana-Farber patients with mCRPC.

The results, detailed in an article published in the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, indicated that administration of radium-223 pre-chemotherapy increased the likelihood of completion of radium-223 treatment. However, radium-223 treatment pre- or post-chemotherapy and with or without combination therapy did not result in significant differences in overall survival. The authors conclude the article by writing that “[a]dditional prospective studies that evaluate the optimal treatment sequence are warranted to improve outcomes for patients.”

Read the article

Authors

McKay R, Silver R, Bhak RH, Korves C, Cheng M, Appukkuttan S, Simmons SJ, Duh MS, Taplin M