San Francisco, CA USA (UroToday.com) Turpin and colleagues presented abstract 333 describing the practice patterns of French physicians in the first line treatment of mCRPC. They performed an online survey including 22 questions that was circulated with the assistance of French regional oncology networks and GETUG. 481 physicians were contacted between March and July 2015, and 101 physicians completed the survey (20.9%). A majority of participants were medical oncologists (49), radiation oncologists (29), and urologists (21), and 2 were from other specialties. Participants came from 22 French regions.
Physicians described several criteria for choosing docetaxel as the first line agent, including the presence of visceral metastases (78.2%), heavy tumor burden (68.3%), aggressiveness of the cancer (67.3%), and short-term duration of efficacy of primary castration (65.4%). The criteria for choosing androgen receptor directed therapies were longer duration of efficacy of castration (67.3%), older age (67.3%), low tumor grade (56.4%), and asymptomatic patient (53.5%). A majority reported assessing the efficacy of docetaxel after 3 cycles by PSA, CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, and bone scan in 96%, 58%, and 62% of cases. Monthly PSA checks were performed by 29.3% of physicians, with a majority of physicians assessing the PSA every 3 months (50.5%).
This survey study demonstrates practice patterns by asking physicians in France directly what their habits are. Although there was a relatively low response rate, the results reflect what we might expect and provide insight into the thought behind clinical decision-making. Combining this data with registry data reflecting actual utilization are strong steps in the process of defining a first line treatment algorithm for treatment of mCRPC.
Presented By:
Dr. Anthony Turpin, MD
Reported By:
Alicia K. Morgans, MD, at the 2016 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium - January 7 - 9, 2016 – San Francisco, CA
Assistant Professor of Medicine Medical Oncologist
Vanderbilt - Ingram Cancer Center