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Abstract Background Patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) are usually asymptomatic and seek treatments that improve survival but have a low risk of adverse events. Darolutamide, a structurally distinct androgen receptor inhibitor (ARi), significantly reduced the risk of metastasis and death versus placebo in ARAMIS. We assessed the extended safety and tolerability of darolutamide and the time-course profile of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) related to ARis and androgen-suppressive treatment. Patients and Methods Patients with nmCRPC were randomized 2:1 to darolutamide (n = 955) or placebo (n = 554). After trial unblinding, patients could receive open-label darolutamide. Tolerability and TEAEs were assessed every 16 weeks. Time interval–specific new and cumulative event rates were determined during the first 24 months of the double-blind period. Results Darolutamide remained well tolerated during the double-blind and open-label periods, with 98.8% of patients receiving the full planned dose. The incidence of TEAEs of interest in the darolutamide group was low and ≤2% different from that in the placebo group, except for fatigue. When incidences were adjusted for exposure time, there were minimal differences between the darolutamide double-blind and double-blind plus open-label periods. The rate of initial onset and cumulative incidence of grade 3/4 TEAEs and serious TEAEs were similar for darolutamide and placebo groups over 24 months. Conclusion Extended treatment with darolutamide was well tolerated and no new safety signals were observed. Most ARi-associated and androgen-suppressive treatment–related TEAEs occurred at low incidences with darolutamide, were similar to placebo, and showed minimal increase over time with continued treatment. Trial number ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02200614 This report examines darolutamide tolerability from extended follow-up for both the double-blind and open-label treatment periods of the phase III ARAMIS trial and characterizes the onset and occurrence over time of treatment-emergent adverse events of interest, including those commonly associated with androgen receptor inhibitor therapy and androgen-suppressive treatment.

ODM-201 is a novel androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor designed to block the growth of prostate cancer cells through high-affinity binding to the AR and inhibition of AR nuclear translocation. This trial assessed ODM-201's safety, pharmacokinetics, and activity in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The ARADES trial is an open-label phase 1–2 trial undertaken in 23 hospitals across Europe and USA with ongoing long-term follow-up. Men with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, who had castrate concentrations of testosterone and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score of 0–1 were enrolled. In the phase 1 part of the trial, patients were given oral ODM-201 at a starting daily dose of 200 mg, which was increased to 400 mg, 600 mg, 1000 mg, 1400 mg, and 1800 mg. In phase 2, patients were randomly assigned centrally and stratified by previous chemotherapy and treatment with CPY17 inhibitors, to receive one of three daily doses of ODM-201 (200 mg, 400 mg, and 1400 mg). The primary endpoint in phase 1 was safety and tolerability, whereas in phase 2 it was the proportion of patients with a PSA response (50% or greater decrease in serum PSA) at week 12. All analyses included patients who had received at least one dose of ODM-201. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01317641, and NCT01429064 for the follow-up after 12 weeks. We enrolled patients between April 5, 2011, and March 12, 2013. In phase 1, 24 patients were enrolled to six sequential cohorts of three to six patients and received a daily dose of ODM-201, 200–1800 mg. No dose-limiting toxic effects were reported and the maximum tolerated dose was not reached. In phase 1, three patients reported eight adverse events of grade 3 (fracture, muscle injury, laceration, paralytic ileus, pain, presyncope, urinary retention, and vomiting) and one patient had a grade 4 adverse event (lymphoedema). None of the grade 3–4 adverse events were deemed to be related to ODM-201. Of the phase 1 patients, the four who received 200 mg, seven who received 400 mg, and three who received 1400 mg entered the phase 2 part of the trial. In addition to these patients, 110 were randomly assigned to three groups: 200 mg (n=38), 400 mg (n=37), and 1400 mg (n=35). For these patients, the most common treatment-emergent adverse events were fatigue or asthenia (15 [12%] of 124 patients), hot flush (six [5%]), and decreased appetite (five [4%]). One patient (<1%) had a grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse event (fatigue); no patients had a treatment-emergent grade 4 adverse event. 38 patients who received 200 mg, 39 who received 400 mg, and 33 who received 1400 mg were assessable for PSA response at 12 weeks. 11 (29%) patients in the 200 mg group, 13 (33%) in the 400 mg group, and 11 (33%) in the 1400 mg group had a PSA response at 12 weeks. Our results suggest that ODM-201 monotherapy in men with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer provides disease suppression and that ODM-201 has a favourable safety profile. These findings support further investigation of clinical responses with ODM-201 in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Orion Corporation Orion Pharma, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Purpose This trial assessed the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of darolutamide (ODM-201), a new-generation nonsteroidal androgen receptor antagonist, in Japanese patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Methods In this open-label, nonrandomized, two-cohort, dose-escalating phase 1 study, Japanese patients with mCRPC were enrolled after a screening period. In the single-dose period (≈1 week), darolutamide was administered at 300 mg (Cohort 1) or 600 mg (Cohort 2) on day −5 (fasting state) and day −2 (fed condition). In the subsequent multiple-dose period (fed condition), patients received darolutamide 300 mg twice daily (Cohort 1) or 600 mg twice daily (Cohort 2) for 12 weeks. Primary endpoints: evaluate safety and pharmacokinetics of darolutamide. Results Of 12 patients enrolled, 9 received darolutamide (Cohort 1, n  = 3; Cohort 2, n  = 6). All 9 patients experienced ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE; majority Grade 1/2). Incidence of drug-related TEAEs (DR-TEAEs) was 44% (all grades; n  = 4); most common DR-TEAE was decreased appetite (22%), and 1 serious DR-TEAE (Grade 3 nausea) was observed. No Grade ≥4 DR-TEAEs or new safety signals were observed. C max and AUC (0– t last ) were dose-dependent; pharmacokinetics of each dose appeared to be linear over time. Prostate-specific antigen response was observed in 11% (1/9) of patients. Compared with fasting status, geometric mean C max increased 2.5-fold after 300 mg and 2.8-fold after 600 mg; geometric mean AUC (0– t last ) increased 2.5-fold after both doses under fed conditions. Conclusions Darolutamide was well tolerated at the examined doses in Japanese patients with mCRPC, without differences in safety and pharmacokinetics relative to Western patients.

Prostate cancer is a hormone-dependent malignancy, whose onset and progression are closely related to the activity of the androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway. Due to this critical role of AR signaling in driving prostate cancer, therapy targeting the AR pathway has been the mainstay strategy for metastatic prostate cancer treatment. The utility of these agents has expanded with the emergence of second-generation AR antagonists, which began with the approval of enzalutamide in 2012 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Together with apalutamide and darolutamide, which were approved in 2018 and 2019, respectively, these agents have improved the survival of patients with prostate cancer, with applications for both androgen-dependent and castration-resistant disease. While patients receiving these drugs receive a benefit in the form of prolonged survival, they are not cured and ultimately progress to lethal neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). Here we summarize the current state of AR antagonist development and highlight the emerging challenges of their clinical application and the potential resistance mechanisms, which might be addressed by combination therapies or the development of novel AR-targeted therapies.

Antiandrogen strategies remain the prostate cancer treatment backbone, but drug resistance develops. We show that androgen blockade in prostate cancer leads to derepression of retroelements (REs) followed by a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-stimulated interferon response that blocks tumor growth. A forward genetic approach identified H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) as an essential epigenetic adaptation to antiandrogens, which enabled transcriptional silencing of REs that otherwise stimulate interferon signaling and glucocorticoid receptor expression. Elevated expression of terminal H3K9me3 writers was associated with poor patient hormonal therapy outcomes. Forced expression of H3K9me3 writers conferred resistance, whereas inhibiting H3K9-trimethylation writers and readers restored RE expression, blocking antiandrogen resistance. Our work reveals a drug resistance axis that integrates multiple cellular signaling elements and identifies potential pharmacologic vulnerabilities.

Patients with prostate cancer frequently show resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy, a condition known as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Acquiring a better understanding of the mechanisms that control the development of CRPC remains an unmet clinical need. The well-established dependency of cancer cells on the tumour microenvironment indicates that the microenvironment might control the emergence of CRPC. Here we identify IL-23 produced by myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as a driver of CRPC in mice and patients with CRPC. Mechanistically, IL-23 secreted by MDSCs can activate the androgen receptor pathway in prostate tumour cells, promoting cell survival and proliferation in androgen-deprived conditions. Intra-tumour MDSC infiltration and IL-23 concentration are increased in blood and tumour samples from patients with CRPC. Antibody-mediated inactivation of IL-23 restored sensitivity to androgen-deprivation therapy in mice. Taken together, these results reveal that MDSCs promote CRPC by acting in a non-cell autonomous manner. Treatments that block IL-23 can oppose MDSC-mediated resistance to castration in prostate cancer and synergize with standard therapies. IL-23 produced by myeloid-derived suppressor cells regulates castration resistance in prostate cancer by sustaining androgen receptor signalling.

The drug abiraterone is converted to Δ 4 -abiraterone (D4A) in mice and patients with prostate cancer, which has more potent anti-tumour activity and may lead to more effective therapies. Alternatives to abiraterone in prostate cancer Abiraterone has been designed as a drug to treat patients with co-called castration-resistant prostate cancer — cancers that don't respond to androgen antagonists. Abiraterone works instead by blocking the formation of androgens via inhibition of the enzyme CYP17A1, a key step in the biosynthesis of testosterone and other androgens. In a new twist to these findings, Nima Sharifi and colleagues now show that abiraterone is itself metabolized in prostate tumours, giving rise to D4A which inhibits several enzymes in the androgen synthesis pathway including CYP17A1 and also antagonizes the androgen receptor. D4A has more potent anti-tumour activity in animal models, and may lead to more efficient therapies, in particular in the light of certain restrictions to the availability of abiraterone. Prostate cancer resistance to castration occurs because tumours acquire the metabolic capability of converting precursor steroids to 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), promoting signalling by the androgen receptor and the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer 1 , 2 , 3 . Essential for resistance, DHT synthesis from adrenal precursor steroids or possibly from de novo synthesis from cholesterol commonly requires enzymatic reactions by 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3βHSD), steroid-5α-reductase (SRD5A) and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17βHSD) isoenzymes 4 , 5 . Abiraterone, a steroidal 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (CYP17A1) inhibitor, blocks this synthetic process and prolongs survival 6 , 7 . We hypothesized that abiraterone is converted by an enzyme to the more active Δ 4 -abiraterone (D4A), which blocks multiple steroidogenic enzymes and antagonizes the androgen receptor, providing an additional explanation for abiraterone’s clinical activity. Here we show that abiraterone is converted to D4A in mice and patients with prostate cancer. D4A inhibits CYP17A1, 3βHSD and SRD5A, which are required for DHT synthesis. Furthermore, competitive androgen receptor antagonism by D4A is comparable to the potent antagonist enzalutamide. D4A also has more potent anti-tumour activity against xenograft tumours than abiraterone. Our findings suggest an additional explanation—conversion to a more active agent—for abiraterone’s survival extension. We propose that direct treatment with D4A would be more clinically effective than abiraterone treatment.

Inflammation is a hallmark of cancer 1 . In patients with cancer, peripheral blood myeloid expansion, indicated by a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, associates with shorter survival and treatment resistance across malignancies and therapeutic modalities 2 – 5 . Whether myeloid inflammation drives progression of prostate cancer in humans remain unclear. Here we show that inhibition of myeloid chemotaxis can reduce tumour-elicited myeloid inflammation and reverse therapy resistance in a subset of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). We show that a higher blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio reflects tumour myeloid infiltration and tumour expression of senescence-associated mRNA species, including those that encode myeloid-chemoattracting CXCR2 ligands. To determine whether myeloid cells fuel resistance to androgen receptor signalling inhibitors, and whether inhibiting CXCR2 to block myeloid chemotaxis reverses this, we conducted an investigator-initiated, proof-of-concept clinical trial of a CXCR2 inhibitor (AZD5069) plus enzalutamide in patients with metastatic CRPC that is resistant to androgen receptor signalling inhibitors. This combination was well tolerated without dose-limiting toxicity and it decreased circulating neutrophil levels, reduced intratumour CD11b + HLA-DR lo CD15 + CD14 − myeloid cell infiltration and imparted durable clinical benefit with biochemical and radiological responses in a subset of patients with metastatic CRPC. This study provides clinical evidence that senescence-associated myeloid inflammation can fuel metastatic CRPC progression and resistance to androgen receptor blockade. Targeting myeloid chemotaxis merits broader evaluation in other cancers. A translational study demonstrates the role of myeloid inflammatory cells in driving disease progression and treatment resistance in prostate cancer and shows that these cells can be targeted therapeutically.

Intrinsically disordered proteins, which do not adopt well-defined structures under physiological conditions, are implicated in many human diseases. Small molecules that target the disordered transactivation domain of the androgen receptor have entered human trials for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), but no structural or mechanistic rationale exists to explain their inhibition mechanisms or relative potencies. Here, we utilize all-atom molecular dynamics computer simulations to elucidate atomically detailed binding mechanisms of the compounds EPI-002 and EPI-7170 to the androgen receptor. Our simulations reveal that both compounds bind at the interface of two transiently helical regions and induce the formation of partially folded collapsed helical states. We find that EPI-7170 binds androgen receptor more tightly than EPI-002 and we identify a network of intermolecular interactions that drives higher affinity binding. Our results suggest strategies for developing more potent androgen receptor inhibitors and general strategies for disordered protein drug design. In this work the authors report atomically detailed computer simulations revealing the binding mechanisms of small molecule drugs to an intrinsically disordered region of the androgen receptor, a castration-resistant prostate cancer drug target.

Testosterone is the canonical growth factor of prostate cancer but can paradoxically suppress its growth when present at supraphysiological levels. We have previously demonstrated that the cyclical administration of supraphysiological androgen (SPA), termed bipolar androgen therapy (BAT), can result in tumor regression and clinical benefit for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, predictors and mechanisms of response and resistance have been ill defined. Here, we show that growth inhibition of prostate cancer models by SPA required high androgen receptor (AR) activity and were driven in part by downregulation of MYC. Using matched sequential patient biopsies, we show that high pretreatment AR activity predicted downregulation of MYC, improved clinical response, and prolonged progression-free and overall survival for patients on BAT. BAT induced strong downregulation of AR in all patients, which is shown to be a primary mechanism of acquired resistance to SPA. Acquired resistance was overcome by alternating SPA with the AR inhibitor enzalutamide, which induced adaptive upregulation of AR and resensitized prostate cancer to SPA. This work identifies high AR activity as a predictive biomarker of response to BAT and supports a treatment paradigm for prostate cancer involving alternating between AR inhibition and activation.