Revolution in oncology: Treatments triple life expectancy for advanced prostate cancer

Therapeutic advances and molecular diagnostics have tripled the survival rate of patients with advanced prostate cancer in 15 years. Patients with this type of cancer account for 10% of all diagnosed cases, while the majority are detected in their early stages.

The Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) has highlighted advances such as the combination of PARP inhibitors with hormonal treatments or the radiopharmaceutical 177Lu-PSMA-617, which has consolidated the role of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted therapy as a "fundamental" pillar in the management of advanced prostate cancer, all in honor of World Prostate Cancer Day, which is commemorated this Wednesday.

Continuous innovations over the years, especially in advanced stages, have allowed the median survival rate to increase from 18 months in 2005 to more than 40 months today.

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The treatment goals for the different subtypes are to prolong patient survival, preserve quality of life, and prevent skeletal events.

On the other hand, SEOM has highlighted that one of the most important challenges today is defining the optimal sequence of drugs, ensuring the maximum benefit for each patient in a personalized manner.

Continued advances in research have also benefited diagnostics, with the inclusion of positron emission tomography with PSMA, which provides greater sensitivity and specificity.

Likewise, clinical guidelines have included recommendations for routine analysis of genes associated with homologous recommendation (such as BRCA1/2), both for selecting patients as candidates for PARP inhibitors and for family counseling.

Progress

"All of these advances have been able to see the light of day thanks to the conduct of clinical trials in multiple centers around the world, and the generous participation of patients in them. Spanish centers have participated significantly in these advances. We continue to believe that the best option, to the extent possible, is to participate in clinical trials that continue to try to improve the safety and efficacy of these treatments," added SEOM.

Finally, it has been deemed necessary to equitably incorporate those advances that show "significant benefits" for patients.