Dr. Higano on Combinations With Radium-223 for Prostate Cancer

Celestia Higano, MD, professor of medicine and urology at the University of Washington, and a member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses risks associated with combining radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) for patients with prostate cancer.

Radium-223 has been studied in combination with docetaxel and it has been discovered that there can be significant myelotoxicity, explains Higano. This was unexpected since radium-223 is not associated with this type of adverse event.

It is not recommended to combine these agents but more trials are ongoing to attempt to combine radium-223 with chemotherapy, states Higano.