Background/aim: There is little evidence regarding the predictive value of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with an androgen receptor signaling inhibitor. This study investigated the correlation between PSA kinetics and prognosis in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with enzalutamide.
Patients and methods: We analyzed data from 103 patients who received enzalutamide as primary treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer at our hospital, focusing on the associations between overall survival and PSA kinetics variables, such as maximal PSA response, PSA nadir, and time to PSA nadir.
Results: The median PSA level at the initiation of enzalutamide was 18.1 ng/ml (interquartile range=7.9-61.2 ng/ml). The median maximal PSA response rate was 88% (interquartile range 55-98), and the median PSA nadir was 1.84 (interquartile range (IQR)=0.38-14.7) ng/ml. The median time to PSA nadir was 19 (IQR=6-28.5) weeks. Maximal PSA response rate <90% [hazard ratio (HR)=2.28, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03-5.03, p=0.0413], PSA nadir >2 ng/ml (HR=2.30, 95%CI=1.05-5.07, p=0.0379), time to nadir <19 weeks (HR=2.48, 95%CI=1.15-5.35, p=0.0204) were all independently predictive of shortened overall survival even after adjusting for pre-treatment factors.
Conclusion: Maximal PSA response, PSA nadir, and time to PSA nadir correlated with survival in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer receiving enzalutamide as a first-line therapy.
Keywords: Androgen receptor signaling inhibitor; castration-resistant prostate cancer; enzalutamide; overall survival; prostate-specific antigen.
©2024 The Author(s). Published by the International Institute of Anticancer Research.