| The following article features coverage from the 2020 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium meeting. Click here to read more of Renal and Urology News’ conference coverage. |
SAN FRANCISCO—Sipuleucel-T immunotherapy for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is associated with longer overall survival (OS) compared to use of other agents without sipuleucel-T, investigators reported at the 2020 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
“The findings shed new light on the critical role immunotherapy plays in the mCRPC treatment regimen,” said lead investigator Rana R. McKay, MD, a medical oncologist with Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, where she is Assistant Professor of Medicine.
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In a real-world analysis of Medicare claims data obtained from 6125 men with mCRPC, Dr McKay and her colleagues found that men with mCRPC who received sipuleucel-T at any point in their therapeutic continuum experienced a significant 45% decreased risk of death and lived a median of 14.5 months longer than men who received only abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide. In the setting of first-line treatment, recipients of sipuleucel-T (Provenge®, Dendreon Pharmaceuticals) recipients had a 43% lower risk of death than patients treated only with oral androgen pathway inhibitors. Median survival was 14 months longer for the sipuleucel-T group than the oral androgen pathway inhibitor recipients. Analyses did not adjust for potential confounding variables.
“While this level of OS benefit is compelling and raises clinical questions about the underutilization of Provenge in mCRPC, additional analyses are forthcoming adjusting for prognostic variables that could impact survival outcomes,” Dr McKay said.
Dr McKay emphasized that their study did not directly compare the efficacy of sipuleucel-T to the newer oral therapies. “Through this analysis we sought to better understand how Provenge impacts survival in the contemporary treatment landscape,” Dr. McKay said. “We believe these findings have revealed the importance of using treatments with complementary [mechanisms of action] to maximize patient survival outcomes.”
Sipuleucel-T is indicated for use in men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic mCRPC without visceral metastases.
Read more of our coverage of the 2020 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium by visiting the conference page.
Reference
McKay RR, Flanders SC, Ferro C, et al. Overall survival (OS) among Medicare beneficiaries receiving sipuleucel-T (Sip-T) vs oral treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Presented at the 2020 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium held in February 13 to 15 in San Francisco. Poster 42.
