New hormonal protocol reduces risk of recurrence in prostate cancer clinical trial

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CHICAGO — There are usually two standard treatment paths for patients with high-risk prostate cancer that has not spread. The prostate may be surgically removed or a combination of radiation therapy and hormone therapy may be used. Now, following the results of a new phase 3 clinical trial, some oncologists believe a third option may soon be considered. It is a surgery that uses hormone therapy before and after the surgery.

The study, known as the PROTEUS trial, found that a combination of two types of hormone therapy, one before surgery and one after surgery, was better than one hormone therapy alone, in high-risk, early-stage prostate cases.

However, how prostate cancer experts interpret the results varies. Many told STAT they believe this could lead to a new standard of care. Emmanual Antonarakis, a genitourinary oncologist at the University of Minnesota, called this a “watershed moment” for prostate cancer in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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