Dr. Charles Ryan on Impact of IMAAGEN Trial in Nonmetastatic CRPC

Charles J. Ryan, MD, professor of Clinical Medicine, Urology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco, discusses the impact of the IMAAGEN trial, which looked at abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) and low-dose prednisone in patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

One of the major findings of the trial was that abiraterone acetate was a safe treatment for nonmetastatic CRPC. However, it remains to be seen if it will become the standard of care in this patient population, says Ryan.

Many patients with CRPC have a relatively low-burden of metastatic disease. The IMAAGEN trial further demonstrated the overall efficacy of abiraterone acetate in this patient population, says Ryan.

The patients that were included in the IMAAGEN were at risk for the development of metastatic disease. Most had a rapidly rising PSA. The fact that a median time to progression has not yet been reached with abiraterone acetate is a significant finding, says Ryan.