Improved survival rates for mCRPC combination treatment

AstraZeneca and Merck have unveiled new data from their Study 08 trial that demonstrates the combination of lynparza with abiraterone delays the progression of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) compared with abiraterone monotherapy.
The randomised, double-blind, multicentre Phase II trial involved 142 participants with previously-treated mCRPC with docetaxel and no more than two lines of chemotherapy. Its success makes lynparza the first and only poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor to demonstrate activity in combination with the standard therapy. It is the first targeted treatment to exploit DNA damage response pathway deficiencies and preferentially kill cancer cells, and has already been approved for ovarian cancer and metastatic breast cancer.
AstraZena chief medical officer and Global Medicines Development executive vice-president Sean Bohen said: “A previous trial demonstrated improvements in response rates with Lynparza monotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant patients with HRR mutations. The Study 08 combination data suggests that regardless of their mutation status, men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer may potentially benefit from Lynparza in combination with abiraterone.”