A trial of custirsen with cabazitaxel and prednisolone for prostate cancer that has spread (AFFINITY)

This trial showed that custirsen, cabazitaxel and prednisolone was not better than cabazitaxel and prednisolone for prostate cancer that had spread.

Results
This trial recruited over 600 men with prostate cancer. They were put into 1 of 2 treatment groups at random, and:

• half had custirsen, cabazitaxel and prednisolone
• half had cabazitaxel and prednisolone

In 2016 the research team analysed the results to find out how well the treatments worked. They looked at how many people had died so far and found it was similar in both groups:

• 263 out of 317 men (83%) who’d had custirsen, cabazitaxel and prednisolone
• 267 out of 318 men (84%) who’d had cabazitaxel and prednisolone

They looked at how long the men taking part lived for, and found that was also similar in both groups:

• 14.1 months for those who had custirsen, cabazitaxel and prednisolone
• 13.4 months for those who had cabazitaxel and prednisolone

Side effects
More than 9 out of 10 men taking part had side effects, but some were mild or short lived. Some had side effects that were more serious:

• 155 out of 315 men (49%) who had custirsen, cabazitaxel and prednisolone
• 132 out of 312 men (42%) who had cabazitaxel and prednisolone

The most common side effects were a drop in white blood cells and red blood cells, tiredness or lack of energy and bone plain.

Conclusion
The research team concluded that custirsen did not help men with prostate cancer that had spread live longer. They suggest that cabazitaxel and prednisolone is used for men who have already had hormone therapy and docetaxel chemotherapy.

We have based this summary on information from the research team. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed ) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team who did the research. We have not analysed the data ourselves.