Bone biomarkers and prostate cancer survival strongly linked: Study

Prostate cancer falls the top ten leading sites of occurrence for cancer in India. Understanding the factors that influence patient outcomes is critical for improving treatment and survival rates.

Research led by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center reveals a link between bone metabolism biomarkers and survival in men with newly diagnosed hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) who received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The work was published in European Urology.

The study analyzed results from a SWOG Cancer Research Network Phase 3 trial of nearly 1,000 patients on ADT, including some who were also on the novel hormonal therapy Orteronel. Patients participating in the trial came from 248 academic and community centers throughout the country.

Bone biomarkers for both bone loss and bone formation were measured in HSPC patients enrolled in the trial.

The researchers found that elevated bone biomarkers were associated with an increased risk of death. Bone biomarkers have been found to influence overall survival in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), but have not been fully established for HSPC. CRPC is a prostate cancer that continues to grow even when testosterone levels are greatly reduced.

Reference:

Bone biomarkers and subsequent survival in men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: Results from the SWOG S1216 Phase 3 trial of androgen deprivation therapy with or without Orteronel,European Urology, DOI 10.1016/j.eururo.2023.03.036