Recent advances revolutionize treatment of metastatic prostate cancer

In 2004, the chemotherapy agent docetaxel was approved for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. Although it has taken almost a decade, significant new advances have been made in this area, including the clinical development of modern hormonal therapies, such as abiraterone and enzalutamide, and immunotherapies, such as sipuleucel-T, all of which have improved survival in metastatic prostate cancer. These agents have not only provided new therapeutic options for patients with advanced disease, they have also spurred research in both androgen receptor-targeting therapy and immunotherapy. Future trials will focus on the optimal sequence of these and other emerging therapies, with the aim of using these treatments earlier in the disease course (including the adjuvant setting) to enhance clinical benefit and potentially increase the cure rate for prostate cancer.