Dr. Sweeney on Chemotherapy Versus Abiraterone for mCRPC

Christopher Sweeney, MBBS, medical oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the role of chemotherapy versus abiraterone (Zytiga) for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Both docetaxel and abiraterone work well, says Sweeney, but the issue is getting both drugs to achieve maximum benefit. Abiraterone is easier to tolerate since it is a hormonal therapy whereas docetaxel has a higher treatment burden.

Combining both regimens with a hormonal therapy shows similar benefit, explains Sweeney, which makes determining which regimen to give first a challenge.