J U L Y /A U G U S T 2 0 2 1
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VOLUME 20, ISSUE NUMBER 4
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www.renalandurologynews.com
Novel Radiotherapy Beneficial in mCRPC Lutetium-177-PSMA-617 improved survival of men whose disease progressed after previous treatment IMPROVED SURVIVAL OUTCOMES Use of 177Lu-PSMA-617 in combination with standard of care (SOC) improved survival of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer compared with SOC alone, a study found. Shown here are median survival times in months.
© KATERYNA KON / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / GETTY IMAGES
■ Progression-free survival
■ Overall survival
15.3
months
11.3
8.7
months
months
3.4
months Lu-PSMA-617 plus SOC
177
SOC alone
Source: Morris MJ, De Bono JS, Chi KN, et al. Phase 3 study of lutetium-177-PSMA-617 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (VISION). J Clin Oncol. 39, 2021 (suppl 15; abstr LBA4).
PCa Care Dipped in Pandemic BY NATASHA PERSAUD ACCESS TO MEDICAL care for men with prostate cancer (PCa) was sharply reduced last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to real-world data from Verana Health and the American Urological Association (AUA) presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2021 virtual annual meeting. A total of 267,691 patients with PCa visited 158 US urology providers within the AUA’s Quality (AQUA) registry during 2019 and 2020. From March 2 to November 1, 2020 (week 10 to week 44) the magnitude of the decline and recovery in health care visits, including telehealth, varied by PCa risk category, with the steepest drops observed for lowrisk PCa, Matthew R. Cooperberg, MD,
MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues reported. For the first 9 weeks of 2020, health care providers had 25.6 mean visits per day, similar to 2019. Visits declined from weeks 10 to 14 (early March to the first week of April) to 18.03 per day — a 31% drop compared with the same period in 2019. Visits recovered to 2019 levels by week 23 (early June 2020), then declined to 11.89 per day by week 44 — a 58% drop from the same period in 2019, Dr Cooperberg and colleagues reported. The most surprising finding was the depth of the second decline in prostate cancer visits in October to early November after the initial continued on page 9
BY JODY A. CHARNOW A NOVEL radiotherapy that targets cells expressing prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) could become an important new treatment option for men with late-stage metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), investigators reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2021 Annual Meeting. The radiotherapy, lutetium-177-PSMA617 (177Lu-PSMA-617), added to the current standard of care (SOC), improved survival outcomes in men whose cancer progressed after prior treatment. The medication binds to PSMA, an enzyme highly expressed on the surface of prostate cancer cells. “PSMA617 targets PSMA with high affinity
Pembro After RCC Surgery Prolongs DFS BY JODY A. CHARNOW PEMBROLIZUMAB following surgery for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) improves disease-free survival (DFS) and may offer a potential new standard of care, according to study findings presented at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The phase 3 KEYNOTE-564 trial included 994 patients with intermediate high-risk or high-risk cancer or those who had no evidence of disease after primary tumor and soft tissue metastases were completely resected up to 1 year after nephrectomy. All patients underwent surgery at least 12 weeks prior to trial randomization. The study investigators found that adjuvant immunotherapy with pembrolizumab was significantly associated with a 32% decreased risk of disease recurrence compared with placebo after a median follow-up duration of 24 months. The 24-month estimated DFS continued on page 9
and delivers a payload of 177lutetium, a beta-particle-emitting radioactive metal,” lead investigator Michael J. Morris, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer in New York, New York, explained during an ASCO press conference. “When the drug carrying the 177lutetium payload binds to PSMA, the whole molecule is internalized by the cell, and the cell is then exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and dies.” Dr Morris and his colleagues conducted a randomized, open-label phase 3 trial (VISION), which enrolled 831 men with PSMA-positive mCRPC who were previously treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors and 1 or 2 taxane regimens. Investigators continued on page 9
IN THIS ISSUE 7
Recurrence of NMIBC is not associated with smoking status
7
Obese patients with mCRPC have better survival outcomes
8
Guideline-based kidney cancer treatment for women less likely
14
Timing of BCG induction does not affect therapeutic response
22
Nocturnal polyuria is highly prevalent in men and women
23
Low testosterone in men with COVID-19 ups their death risk
23
Kidney stone risk is higher for men compared with women Bluetooth-enabled devices may be vulnerable to attacks by cyber criminals. PAGE 36
