How long do you have to take Erleada (apalutamide) for?

Erleada is an oral medicine for prostate cancer that works by blocking the effects of androgen. Androgens are male hormones (like testosterone) that are needed for prostate function but can also stimulate cancer growth. Blocking androgens can help stop the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells. Continue reading

Prostate cancer cells, like bacteria, can evolve over time and become resistant to treatments, including the hormone therapy and androgen receptor inhibitor Xtandi (enzalutamide). The cancer cells work to reprogram their environment and develop strategies that enable them to transform and survive.

If treatment with Xtandi stops working then other treatments may be offered, such as:

• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Radiotherapy

Stopping treatment with Xtandi may also result in an antiandrogen withdrawal response (AAWR), which can cause the cancer to stop growing or shrink for the period of time.

Xtandi is typically taken until prostate cancer starts to progress or spread (metastasize), or until the patient can no longer tolerate therapy because of the side effects or adverse events it causes.

In clinical trials, Xtandi was effective at delaying the time to disease progression in men with advanced prostate cancer. In men who had not received prior treatment with chemotherapy, Xtandi was also effective at delaying the need for treatment with a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent.

In the AFFIRM trial, treatment with Xtandi extended life by almost 5 months in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Continue reading