Patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in the metastatic phase will also be able to have access to darolutamide, an androgen inhibitor that promises to improve quality of life. The Italian drug agency (Aifa) has in fact approved it as the first line of treatment: the drug, in association with hormonal therapy and chemotherapy with docetaxel, reduces the risk of death by 32.5%.
Genitourinary cancers, over 1 million patients live in Italy 04 February 2024
Prostate cancer, the alarm bells
Prostate cancer represents over 20% of all cancers diagnosed in Italy in men over 50 years of age: in 2023, over 41 thousand new cases were estimated in our country, with an increase of more than 5 thousand diagnoses in three years. “Symptoms such as the frequent need to urinate, pain when urinating and the presence of blood in the urine are often underestimated by patients, leading to the discovery of the disease in an advanced stage,” he explains Joseph Procopius, Director of the Prostate and Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program at the IRCCS National Cancer Institute Foundation of Milan. The impact of metastatic prostate cancer on the daily lives of patients who develop symptoms related to the disease can be important: “In some cases, these people cannot sleep or walk due to pain, particularly in the bones. Hence the strong need for therapies capable of guaranteeing a good quality of life even in men with metastatic disease.”
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A new weapon for more patients
Darolutamide responds to this need. Approved already in 2021 for the treatment of patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) at high risk of developing metastases, this powerful androgen inhibitor is now also available for metastatic patients. “The phase III ARASENS study demonstrated the benefits of darolutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy in association with docetaxel both in reducing the risk of death and in limiting the deterioration of quality of life – he explains Sergio Bracarda, President of the Italian Society of Uro-Oncology (SIUrO) and Director of the Complex Structure of Medical and Translational Oncology and of the Department of Oncology at the Santa Maria di Terni Hospital – The combination with darolutamide prolongs survival, delays disease progression and safeguards quality of life, important aspects for patients affected by cancer in the metastatic phase. This drug combines therapeutic efficacy and tolerability. Thanks to its peculiar chemical structure, it inhibits the growth of tumor cells, limiting side effects that can impact daily life.”
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The multidisciplinary approach
Prostate cancer represents an excellent example of the advantages that can be obtained from multidisciplinary and multi-professional management, concludes Procopio: “If a patient is assisted by a team within which several specialists work and collaborate, diagnostic and therapeutic appropriateness are optimised, access to care as well as use of resources. And there are improvements in the patient’s quality of life and in adherence to therapies.”
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