Introduction: Prostate cancer metastatic to bone is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality.
Bone pain and other skeletal events negatively impact the quality of life in patients who might otherwise be functioning well. As such, there has been intense interest in the development of strategies and pharmaceuticals to address this problem.
Areas covered: The authors reviewed the current literature for articles relevant to metastatic prostate cancer, clinical radiopharmaceuticals, castrate-resistant prostate cancer and development of Radium-223 . The authors have referenced primary literature, clinical trials and relevant review articles that summarize the history, development and current utilization of radiopharmaceuticals for management of bone metastases from prostate cancer.
Expert opinion: Radium-223 is the first radiopharmaceutical with an overall survival benefit approved for the palliation of pain in patients with multiple sites of bone metastasis not suitable for external beam radiation therapy. The additional benefit of clinically significant improved overall survival should lead to exploration of whether this agent can be used earlier in the treatment algorithm or combined with chemotherapy or androgen deprivation therapy. An individualized approach needs to be tailored to each patient based on their overall symptoms, disease burden, hematologic profile and goals of care.
Written by:
Yeku O, Slovin SF. Are you the author?
Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Genitourinary Oncology Service, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Reference: Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol. 2015 Mar 4:1-7.
doi: 10.1517/17425255.2015.1021332
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25740232