| Abstract: |
Background In the PSMAfore study, lutetium-177 [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (vipivotide tetraxetan) significantly improved radiographic progression-free survival compared with change of androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) in taxane-naive patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Here, we present in-depth analyses of time to worsening of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and pain, and time to first symptomatic skeletal events. Methods PSMAfore, an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 74 investigator sites (including hospitals with nuclear medicine departments and the research facilities where patients were recruited) across 14 countries. Eligible patients had metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, were candidates for ARPI change after one progression on a previous ARPI, had at least one PSMA-positive and no exclusionary PSMA-negative metastatic lesions by gallium-68 [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET-CT, were aged 18 years or older, and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (74 GBq; every 6 weeks for six cycles) or ARPI change (oral abiraterone or enzalutamide per local labelling). The primary endpoint was radiographic progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints included time to worsening in self-reported HRQOL (assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate [FACT-P] and EQ-5D-5L) and pain (assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form [BPI-SF]) and time to the first symptomatic skeletal event. All analyses were done using the intention-to-treat principle. The study met the primary endpoint of radiographic progression-free survival (reported previously), and overall survival follow-up is ongoing; present analyses are from the third interim analysis of overall survival. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04689828. Findings Between June 15, 2021, and Oct 7, 2022, 468 patients (426 [91%] were White and 12 [3%] were Black or African American) were randomly assigned to [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (n=234) or ARPI change (n=234). Median followup time from randomisation to the third interim analysis data cutoff date (Feb 27, 2024) was 2411 months (IQR 2024-2760) in the [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 group and 2413 months (2024-2737) in the ARPI change group. [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 delayed time to worsening in all assessed FACT-P, EQ-5D-5L, and BPI-SF scales and subscales versus ARPI change. In the [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 versus ARPI change groups, median time to worsening in FACT-P total score was 746 months (95% CI 608-854) versus 427 months (345-450; hazard ratio [HR] 061 [95% CI 050-075]), in EQ-5D-5L utility score was 628 months (470-789) versus 388 months (325-444; 067 [054-082]), and in BPI-SF pain intensity was 503 months (440-680) versus 365 months (309-437; 072 [059-088]). [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 also delayed symptomatic skeletal events versus ARPI change: median time to first symptomatic skeletal event was not reached (95% CI not estimable [NE]-NE) in the [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 group versus 1797 months (1426-NE) in the ARPI change group (HR 041 [026-063]). The most common grade 3 or worse treatment-emergent adverse event was anaemia (14 [6%] of 227 patients in the [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 group vs 16 [7%] of 232 patients in the ARPI change group). There were no treatment-related deaths in the [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 group and one in the ARPI change group (cerebrovascular accident). Interpretation [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 might delay worsening of patient-reported outcomes and prevent symptomatic skeletal events versus ARPI change in taxane-naive patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer whose disease has progressed once on a previous ARPI. Copyright (c) 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. |
