Dr. Concepcion Discusses Prostate Cancer Therapies

Raoul Concepcion, MD, editor-in-chief, Urologists in Cancer Care, Director of Clinical Research, Urologic Surgeon, Urology Associates, PC, Nashville, TN, discusses the multiple new therapies that have been approved in recent years for advanced prostate cancer.

The first agent Concepcion mentions is cabazitaxel (Jevtana), which was approved June 17, 2010, in combination with prednisone, for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This agent is a cytotoxic semi-synthetic taxane and is approved to be administered following the failure of docetaxel.

The oral agent abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) was approved April 28, 2011, in combination with prednisone, for metastatic CRPC patients who have received prior docetaxel. This agent inhibits the dual-enzyme complex CYP17, which prevents androgen biosynthesis.

Concepcion feels that the most exciting new agent available is the autologous cellular immunotherapy sipuleucel-T (Provenge), which was approved April 29, 2010, for asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic CRPC. He explains this agent has a proven survival benefit with very few side effects. Additionally, following leukapheresis the administration process is fairly simple to complete in an urologist's office.