Men having metastatic prostate cancer can delay quality life decline by abiraterone acetate

A new study proves that abiraterone acetate, a recently approved drug by the FDA for treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in men can significantly delay progression of pain and quality of life deterioration. This study is published in the Lancet Oncology and is led by Ethan Basch, MD, director of the Cancer Outcomes Research Program at the University Of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The majority of men with metastatic prostate cancer experience pain that is often debilitating and can have a profound impact on their ability to function, sleep, work, and their enjoyment of life. Pain is a central problem in prostate cancer and managing pain remains a major challenge”, said Dr. Basch. “The design of this study provides a path forward for future research to utilize patient-centered endpoints”, said Dr. Basch. “Not only does it provide essential information about the properties of abiraterone acetate, but it demonstrates the feasibility of rigorously measuring symptoms in a large multi-national study. It also helps identify areas of needed future methodological research”.