Neoadjuvant Chemohormonal Therapy Aids Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer

THURSDAY, May 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapy (NCHT) is beneficial for biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS), according to a study published online May 1 in The Journal of Urology.

Hongyang Qian, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial recruiting 141 patients with locally advanced, high-risk prostate cancer who were randomly assigned to the NCHT group (who received docetaxel plus androgen deprivation therapy for six cycles) or the neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NHT) group (who received androgen deprivation therapy for 24 weeks) in a 2:1 ratio. Three-year bPFS was examined as the primary end point.

The researchers identified significant benefits in three-year bPFS for the NCHT group versus the NHT group (29 versus 9.5 percent). The NCHT group achieved a significantly longer median bPFS time than the NHT group at a median follow-up of 53 months (17 versus 14 months). In terms of pathological downstaging and minimal residual disease rates, there were no significant differences observed between the groups.

"Our clinical trial is the first to show a longer time to biochemical recurrence with chemotherapy plus standard hormone therapy for patients with locally advanced, high-risk prostate cancer," coauthor Jiahua Pan, M.D., also of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said in a statement. "The findings add new evidence to support the use of combined chemohormonal therapy for a group of patients at high risk of recurrent, progressive prostate cancer."

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