Abiraterone acetate: redefining hormone treatment for advanced prostate cancer

Carmel J Pezaro1, Deborah Mukherji, Johann S De Bono

  • 1Drug Development Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey, UK.

Drug Discovery Today
|December 27, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Abiraterone acetate (AA) effectively lowers testosterone by inhibiting androgen production. This drug extends survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after chemotherapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Endocrinology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Prostate cancer is hormonally driven by androgen receptor signaling.
  • Abiraterone acetate (AA) is a CYP17 inhibitor blocking androgen synthesis.
  • AA reduces testosterone to undetectable levels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the preclinical discovery and clinical development of abiraterone acetate (AA).
  • To outline the strategy of parallel translational research for AA.

Main Methods:

  • Review of preclinical data on abiraterone acetate.
  • Analysis of clinical trial data for abiraterone acetate.
  • Examination of translational research strategies.

Main Results:

  • Abiraterone acetate (AA) has been proven to extend survival in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients post-chemotherapy.
  • AA is under investigation in Phase III trials for pre-chemotherapy settings.

Conclusions:

  • Abiraterone acetate (AA) represents a significant advancement in prostate cancer treatment.
  • AA's efficacy in reducing androgen levels supports its role in managing advanced prostate cancer.

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