Christopher J. Sweeney, MBBS

Invited discussant of the PSMAfore trial, Christopher J. Sweeney, MBBS, Director of the South Australian Immunogenics Cancer Institute, University of Adelaide, Australia, congratulated the authors for a well-powered, controlled phase III trial. “The study showed clear documentation of activity—cancer regression, delayed disease progression, and quality of life and pain control. This is the first data set in a randomized phase III trial for patients not fit for, or who refuse, docetaxel,” he said.

“LuPSMA [lutetium-177–labeled PSMA-617] does not replace any castration-resistant prostate cancer option but is another ‘chess piece.’ We need to know when to use it. It is good to have this information on its use in patients not fit for docetaxel. Many patients can’t continue on second- and third-line therapies because of clinical decline. In the absence of clear data, it is complicated to make an informed decision about which drug to use as first-line metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer therapy. At this point, we need to use clinical [as opposed to artificial] intelligence to make decisions,” Dr. Sweeney stated. 

DISCLOSURE: Dr. Sweeneyreported relationships with Amgen, Astellas Pharma, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Celgene, Genentech/Roche, Janssen Biotech, Leuchemix, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Sanofi.