A powerful new treatment could soon help men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery or radiation.
A large study shows that combining a drug called enzalutamide with standard hormone therapy can cut the risk of death by more than 40%.
This research brings hope to men with aggressive prostate cancer that comes back after their first treatment.
The results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and shared at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin.
“After initial treatment, some men see their cancer return quickly and spread,” said Dr. Stephen Freedland from Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “We’ve been using hormone therapy for 30 years, but it hasn’t helped people live longer. This new combination changes everything.”
The international study followed more than 1,000 men across 244 medical centers in 17 countries. All of them had high-risk biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.
This means their PSA levels—a protein that signals prostate cancer—rose quickly after treatment, even though they had no visible tumors yet. A rapid rise in PSA often means the cancer will return and spread, especially to bones or the spine.
“These patients are at high risk of dying from their cancer unless we find better treatments,” said Freedland.
Participants were split into three groups. One group received hormone therapy alone, one got enzalutamide alone, and the third got both treatments together. After eight years, the combination therapy group had a 40.3% lower risk of death compared to the other two groups.
“This trial is a great example of how research leads to better treatments,” said Dr. Robert Figlin from Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “It will improve care for patients everywhere.”
Enzalutamide is already approved by the FDA and included in cancer treatment guidelines. These new findings are expected to strengthen its place as a key treatment, especially when combined with hormone therapy for men with returning prostate cancer.
“These results show that this drug combo helps men live longer,” said Dr. Hyung Kim, chair of Urology at Cedars-Sinai. “It builds on earlier studies and will change how we treat aggressive prostate cancer.”
This new combo therapy could soon become the standard approach for high-risk patients whose cancer comes back after surgery or radiation, offering new hope for longer, healthier lives.
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The study is published in New England Journal of Medicine.
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