Progression-free survival with darolutamide and docetaxel vs. androgen receptor pathway inhibitors vs. docetaxel in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: A real-world multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVE

In metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), first-line treatment with either docetaxel + androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI) + ADT represented the standard of care. Triplet therapy (docetaxel + ARPI + ADT) has shown superiority over docetaxel + ADT, leading to regulatory approval. However, real-world data directly comparing ARPI + ADT and triplet therapy are lacking. This study evaluates real-world outcomes across 3 treatment regimens using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed data from 13 centers of men with mHSPC treated with docetaxel + ADT, ARPI (apalutamide or enzalutamide) + ADT, or darolutamide + docetaxel + ADT. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints included adverse events. To address baseline imbalances, IPTW was employed. Time-to-event data were analyzed using weighted Cox proportional hazards regression with robust variance estimation.

RESULTS

After excluding incomplete cases, 346 men were analyzed: 58 (16.8%) received docetaxel + ADT, 203 (58.7%) ARPI + ADT, and 85 (24.6%) triplet therapy. Before weighting, triplet patients demonstrated more adverse baseline features. After achieving covariate balance through IPTW adjustment, no significant differences in PFS were observed, with hazard ratios of 1.60 (95% CI: 0.78-3.28, P = 0.20) for docetaxel + ADT and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.36-1.35, P = 0.29) for ARPI + ADT compared to triplet therapy. Grade ≥3 adverse events occurred in 36.2%, 10.9%, and 31.8% of patients, respectively (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In this IPTW-adjusted real world cohort, triplet therapy was not significantly associated with improved PFS compared to ARPI + ADT or docetaxel + ADT. These findings should be interpreted in the context of limited sample size and follow-up, and further prospective studies are warranted.