A new treatment approach is giving men with advanced prostate cancer more years to live.
A five-year follow-up from the international ARCHES study, led by the Duke Cancer Institute, shows that combining the drug enzalutamide with standard hormone therapy significantly improves survival rates for men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
The study focused on men whose cancer had spread beyond the prostate and still responded to hormone therapy.
Results revealed that patients who received both enzalutamide and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) lived notably longer than those who received ADT alone.
The benefits were most dramatic for men with high-volume disease—defined as having cancer spread to five or more bones or to organs like the liver or lungs. For these patients, average survival increased by three years, from four to seven.
This group also saw a 13% improvement in five-year survival rates.
Even men with low-volume disease, where the cancer had spread less extensively, saw gains.
Their five-year survival rate improved by 9%, and over 75% were still alive five years after beginning treatment.
These findings offer renewed hope for patients and families facing one of the most serious forms of prostate cancer.
Lead researcher Dr. Andrew Armstrong, a professor of medicine at Duke University, emphasized the significance of the findings.
He noted that it’s rare to see such a large increase in survival time in prostate cancer research, especially for those with aggressive disease.
“Having three extra years of life on average is huge for our patients,” Armstrong said. “With more intensive treatment, patients can remain in remission longer, maintain a good quality of life, and reach important life milestones.”
The original ARCHES trial, which enrolled 1,150 men worldwide, led to the U.S. FDA approving enzalutamide for castration-resistant prostate cancer in 2019. In this trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive either the drug combination or standard hormone therapy with a placebo.
After five years, 66% of men treated with enzalutamide and ADT were still alive, compared to 53% of those who received ADT alone. This translates to a 30% reduction in the risk of death for those receiving the combination therapy.
Enzalutamide works by blocking androgen receptors, stopping testosterone from fueling the growth of prostate cancer cells. The study showed that this benefit applied regardless of age, how far the cancer had spread, or whether patients had received previous treatments like chemotherapy.
Dr. Armstrong stressed that these results should change how doctors treat this disease. “This combination therapy should now be the standard of care,” he said.
The full findings will be presented on June 3 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.
If you care about prostate cancer, please read studies about a natural ally against prostate cancer, and supplements and keto diet can boost immunotherapy for prostate cancer.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to harness the power of anti-cancer foods and supplements, and low-fat diet may help stop cancer growth.
Source: Duke University.
