Objectives: The COU-AA-301 trial demonstrated that in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer using abiraterone post-docetaxel increased overall survival. This study aims to assess this conclusion in a real world context.
Design: Retrospective chart review of a provincial Pharmacy BDM Database (a pharmacy dispensing software) and a provincial Electronic Chart (ARIA). Dispensing data, information on the state of the disease before and after abiraterone use, and information regarding effects of abiraterone were gathered.
Setting: Cancer centers in Alberta, Canada.
Patients: Metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients on abiraterone outside of a clinical trial who have previously had docetaxel chemotherapy for CRPC between February 2012 and May 2014.
Primary outcome: Overall survival from the time of abiraterone initiation.
Results: Overall survival increase of 17 months was consistent with the survival increase of 14.8 months observed in the pivotal trial.
Conclusion: Abiraterone is a valuable therapy post-docetaxel for metastatic CRPC, as in a real world context it demonstrated an increase in overall survival that was consistent with the findings of the clinical trial despite including a patient population of older age and lower performance status.
Keywords: Real world evidence; abiraterone; docetaxel; prostate cancer.