Zytiga life expectancy is something that men considering treatment for prostate cancer will want to understand to help them make an informed decision about treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer in his lifetime is 1 in 6. On the other hand survival is generally good with 1 in 36 men dying from prostate cancer. In 2013 there will be over 235,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the U.S. and about 30,000 deaths.
Zytiga is used for men who have castrate-resistant prostate cancer. This means that their cancer has failed initial medical or surgical attempts to lower testosterone levels. Testosterone is a hormone that allows prostate cancer to grow and spread. Zytiga may also be used for prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Zytiga can be used if you have previously received chemotherapy or not. It works by interrupting the process by which testosterone is made and decreases your testosterone level.
Zytiga Life Expectancy In Men Not Receiving Chemo
In men that had not previously received chemotherapy, the combination of Zytiga plus prednisone led to a 5 month improvement in survival compared to the group receiving placebo plus prednisone, although the result was not statistically significant. The treatment also has been shown to increase time that you may live with prostate cancer, but not have worsening of your disease as measured by cat scans or bone scans. Finally, Zytiga was able to help some patients delay starting chemotherapy.
Zytiga Life Expectancy In Men Receiving Chemo
In another study that looked at the Zytiga plus prednisone combination in men who had received chemotherapy with docetaxel, there was about a 4 month survival advantage compared to men who were treated with placebo (sugar pill) plus prednisone.
Additionally, there is now a Phase 2 clinical trial examining combinations of Zytiga and Provenge. The theory behind combining drugs is that if each of the drugs attacks the prostate cancer in a different way, it might result in more effective treatment. The trial is still in its early stages and results are not yet known.
Sources:
Ryan CJ, Smith MR, Molina A, et al. Interim Analysis (IA) Results of COU-AA-302, a Randomized, Phase 3 Study of Abiraterone Acetate (AA) in Chemotherapy-Naïve Patients (pts) With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC). ASCO 2012; p7.
de Bono JS, Logothetis CJ, Molina A, et al. Abiraterone and increased survival in metastatic prostate cancer.
N Engl J Med. 2011;364:(21):1995-2005.
