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Purpose: Deleterious germline/somatic homologous recombination-repair mutations (HRRm) are present in ~25% of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. Preclinically, PARP-Inhibition demonstrated synergism with ARP-targeted therapy. This trial evaluated efficacy of ARP-Inhibitor versus PARP-Inhibitor versus combination as first-line therapy in mCRPC patients with HRRm., Patients and Methods: BRCAAway is a biomarker pre-selected, randomized, phase-2 trial. Patients with BRCA1/2 and/or ATM alterations were randomized 1:1:1 to Arm1: Abiraterone (1000mg)/prednisone (Abi/pred) (5mg), Arm2: Olaparib (Ola) (300mg), or Arm3: Abiraterone/prednisone + Olaparib (Abi/pred+Ola). Single-agent arms could cross over at progression. Exploratory Arm4 patients with other HRRm received Olaparib alone. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and secondary endpoints were objective response, PSA response, and safety., Results: 61/165 eligible patients had BRCA1/2 or ATM mutations: Median age: 67 (IQR 62-73) years. Mutations: BRCA1 n=3, BRCA2 n=46, ATM n=11, multiple n= 1; 33 germline, 28 somatic. Median PFS (95% CI): Abi/pred, 8.6 months (m) (2.9, 17), Ola, 14 m (8.4, 20), Abi/pred+Ola, 39 m (22, NR). There were no G4/5 AEs. 8/19 on Abi/pred crossed over to Ola, and 8/21 vice versa: Median PFS (95% CI) from crossover: Ola-after-Abi/pred, 8.3 m (5.5, 15); Abi/pred-after-Ola, 7.2 m (2.8, NR). Median PFS (95% CI) from randomization: Ola-after-Abi/pred, 16 m (7.8, 25), Abi/pred-after-Ola, 16 m (11, NR). 17/165 patients with other HRRm received olaparib: Median PFS (95% CI): 5.5 m (2, 11)., Conclusions: In mCRPC patients with BRCA1/2 or ATM HRRm, abiraterone/prednisone + olaparib was well tolerated and demonstrated longer PFS versus either agent alone or sequentially.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are standard of care therapy for patients with cutaneous malignancies, the most frequently diagnosed cancers in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. The activity and rate of allograft rejection in SOT recipients with advanced skin cancers treated with ICI is understudied., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of SOT recipients with advanced melanoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), and merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) who were treated with ICI. Unpublished cases from our institution and published cases from the literature were aggregated. Demographics, type of immunosuppressive therapy, type of ICI(s) administered, prior systemic therapies, tumor response to ICI, and evidence of organ rejection and/or failure were recorded. Objective response rates (ORR) and rates of graft rejection and failure are reported., Results: Ninety patients were identified; four patients from our institution and 86 unique patients from a literature review. ORR to first-line ICI for the entire cohort was 41.1% (37/90). ORR by tumor type was 31% (18/58), 64.3% (18/28), and 25.0% (1/4) for melanoma, cSCC, and MCC, respectively. The rate of graft rejection was 37.8% (34/90) with 61.8% (21/34) of these cases progressing to graft failure. Number of immunosuppressive agents (0, 1, 2, or 3) was inversely associated with rate of graft failure., Conclusions: In this retrospective analysis, ICIs demonstrate clinical activity in SOT recipients with cutaneous malignancies; however, the rate of graft rejection is high. Treatment plans should be individualized through thorough interdisciplinary discussion. Immunosuppressive modifications may be considered prior to starting treatment, but when feasible, enrollment on clinical trials is preferred., Competing Interests: SW has consulted for Lyell Immunopharma and Incyte. RG is an employee of Merck. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (© 2023 Ji, Liu, Pachella, Stephenson, Groisberg and Weiss.)

Purpose of Review: The standard treatment of patients with metastatic prostate cancer is systemic treatment with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT). The spectrum-based model of metastatic disease includes the presence of an oligometastatic state, an intermediary between localized and widespread metastatic disease, in which radical local treatment might improve systemic control. Our purpose is to review the literature on metastasis-directed therapy in the treatment of oligometastatic prostate cancer., Recent Findings: Several prospective clinical trials have reported improvements in ADT-free survival and progression-free survival with metastasis-directed therapy of oligometastatic prostate cancer. Retrospective studies have found improvements in oncologic outcomes for patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer undergoing metastasis-directed therapy, and several recent prospective clinical trials have confirmed these results. Advancements in imaging as well as an understanding of the genomics of oligometastatic prostate cancer may allow for better patient selection for metastasis-directed therapy and the potential for cure in selected patients., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Patients receiving palliative care (PC) can present with or develop a host of urological needs or complications. These needs can include attention to sexual health, urinary incontinence, genitourinary bleeding, and urinary tract obstruction by benign, malignant, or urinary stone diseases. These varied conditions require that PC clinicians understand invasive and noninvasive medical, surgical, and radiation options for treatment. This article, written by a team of urologists, geriatricians, and PC specialists, offers information and guidance to PC teams in an accessible "Top Ten Tips" format to increase comfort with and skills around assessment, evaluation, and specialist referral for urological conditions common in the PC setting.

Background: β-emitting bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals have historically been administered for pain palliation whereas docetaxel prolongs life in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In combination, these agents simultaneously target the bone stroma and cancer cell to optimize antitumor effects. The toxicity and efficacy when each agent is combined at full, recommended doses, in a repetitive fashion is not well established., Methods: Patients with progressive mCRPC and ≥ 3 bone lesions received (153) Sm-EDTMP (samarium-153 ethylene diamine tetramethylene phosphonate) at a dose of 1.0 mCi/kg every 9 weeks and docetaxel at a dose of 75 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks. In the absence of unacceptable toxicity, patients were allowed to continue additional cycles, defined by 9 weeks of treatment, until intolerance or biochemical/radiographic disease progression., Results: Of the 30 patients treated, approximately 50% were considered to be taxane-naive, 36.7% were taxane-refractory, and 13.3% had previously been exposed to taxanes but were not considered refractory. Patients received on average 2.5 cycles of treatment (6.5 doses of docetaxel and 2.5 doses of (153) Sm-EDTMP). Twelve patients (40%) demonstrated a decline in their prostate-specific antigen level of ≥ 50%. The median progression-free survival (biochemical or radiographic) was 7.0 months and the overall survival was 14.3 months. Nine patients (30%) did not recover platelet counts >100 K/mm(3) after a median of 3 cycles to allow for additional treatment, with 4 patients experiencing prolonged thrombocytopenia. The most common reasons for trial discontinuation were progressive disease and hematologic toxicity., Conclusions: The results of the current study indicate that (153) Sm-EDTMP can be safely combined with docetaxel at full doses on an ongoing basis in patients with mCRPC. Although thrombocytopenia limited therapy for some patients, preliminary efficacy supports the strategy of combining a radiopharmaceutical with chemotherapy, which is an appealing strategy given the anticipated availability of α emitters that can prolong survival., (Copyright © 2013 American Cancer Society.)

Purpose: There is currently no imaging biomarker for metastatic prostate cancer. The bone scan index (BSI) is a promising candidate, being a reproducible, quantitative expression of tumor burden seen on bone scintigraphy. Prior studies have shown the prognostic value of a baseline BSI. This study tested whether treatment-related changes in BSI are prognostic for survival and compared BSI to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as an outcome measure., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively examined serial bone scans from patients with castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer (CRMPC) enrolled in four clinical trials. We calculated BSI at baseline and at 3 and 6 months on treatment and performed univariate and bivariate analyses of PSA, BSI, and survival., Results: Eighty-eight patients were scanned, 81 of whom have died. In the univariate analysis, the log percent change in BSI from baseline to 3 and 6 months on treatment prognosticated for survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.44; P = .0089 and HR, 2.54; P < .001, respectively). A doubling in BSI resulted in a 1.9-fold increase in risk of death. Log percent change in PSA at 6 months on treatment was also associated with survival (HR, 1.298; P = .013). In the bivariate analysis, change in BSI while adjusting for PSA was prognostic at 3 and 6 months on treatment (HR, 2.368; P = .012 and HR, 2.226; P = .002, respectively), but while adjusting for BSI, PSA was not prognostic., Conclusion: These data furnish early evidence that on-treatment changes in BSI are a response indicator and support further exploration of bone scintigraphy as an imaging biomarker in CRMPC.

Background: Growth of selected castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cell lines and animal models can be repressed by reexposure to androgens. Low doses of androgens, however, can stimulate tumor growth., Objective: We performed a phase 1 clinical trial to determine the safety of high-dose exogenous testosterone in patients with castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer (CRMPC)., Design, Setting, and Participants: Patients with progressive CRMPC who had been castrate for at least 1 yr received three times the standard replacement dose of transdermal testosterone., Intervention: Cohorts of 3-6 patients received testosterone for 1 wk, 1 mo, or until disease progression., Measurements: Toxicities, androgen levels, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assays, computed tomography (CT) scans, bone scintigraphy, positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and metastatic tumor biopsy androgen receptor levels were assessed., Results and Limitations: Twelve patients were treated-three in cohorts 1 and 2 and six in cohort 3. No pain flares were noted. One patient came off study because of epidural disease, which was treated with radiation. Average testosterone levels were within normal limits, although dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels on average were supraphysiologic in cohort 3. One patient achieved a PSA decline of >50% from baseline. No objective responses were seen. For cohort 3, median time on treatment was 84 d (range: 23-247 d)., Conclusions: We have demonstrated that patients with CRMPC can be safely treated in clinical trials using high-dose exogenous testosterone. Patients did not, on average, achieve sustained supraphysiologic serum testosterone levels. Future studies should employ strategies to maximize testosterone serum levels, use contemporary methods of identifying patients with androgen receptor overexpression, and utilize PSA Working Group II Consensus Criteria clinical trial end points., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT00006044.