CARDIOVASCULAR SAFETY OF ABIRATERONE

Am J Clin Oncol. 2013 Sep 21. [Epub ahead of print]

Safety of Abiraterone Acetate in Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Patients With Concomitant Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

Procopio G, Grassi P, Testa I, Verzoni E, Torri V, Salvioni R, Valdagni R, de Braud F.

Source

Departments of *Medical Oncology ‡Urology §Prostate Programme, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori †Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES::

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety profile of abiraterone acetate (AA) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) men with cardiovascular comorbidity, as little conclusive safety data are available in this patient subset.

PATIENTS AND METHODS::

A retrospective analysis of mCRPC patients with controlled cardiovascular comorbidities, receiving AA 1000 mg administered orally once daily and prednisone 5 mg twice daily, between April 2011 and July 2012, was performed. All clinical and instrumental variables and toxicity data were analyzed by descriptive statistics: mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values for continuous variables, and absolute and relative frequencies for categorical variables.

RESULTS::

A total of 51 mCRPC patients were evaluated. Metastatic sites included the bone (74%), lungs, and liver (26%). All patients were previously treated with at least 2 lines of hormone and 1 docetaxel-based chemotherapy. Preexisting cardiac risk factors included hypertension (41%), cardiac ischemia (12%), arrhythmias (6%), dislipidemia (18%), and hyperglycemia (30%). No grade 3-4 adverse events were observed. Grade 1-2 adverse events included fluid retention (18%), asthenia (15%), and hypertension (16%). Median progression-free survival was 5.1 months (95% confidence interval, 0.5-12). Prostate specific antigen assessment revealed a good overall disease control rate (64%).

CONCLUSIONS::

AA appears to be safe and well tolerated even in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities or with increased risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.