Background
Radiation therapy (RT), plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with a luteinising hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRHA), is standard of care for men with very high-risk localised prostate cancer (PC), or with very high-risk features and persistent PSA after radical prostatectomy (RP). Despite this, incurable distant metastases develop within 5 years in 15% of men with very high-risk features. Darolutamide is a structurally distinct oral androgen receptor antagonist with low blood-brain-barrier penetration, low potential for drug-drug interactions, and a favourable safety profile. Our aim is to determine the efficacy of adding darolutamide to ADT and RT in the setting of either primary definitive therapy, or adjuvant therapy for very high-risk PC.
Methods
This study is a randomised (1:1) phase III placebo-controlled, double-blind trial for men planned for RT who have very high-risk localised PC; or very high-risk features with PSA persistence or rise within one year following RP. The trial will be stratified by: RP; use of adjuvant docetaxel; pelvic nodal involvement. 1100 participants will be randomised to darolutamide 600 mg or placebo twice daily for 96 weeks. Participants will receive LHRHA for 96 weeks, plus RT starting week 8-24 from randomisation. Participants are allowed nonsteroidal antiandrogen (up to 90 days) in addition to LHRHA up until randomisation. Early treatment with up to 6 cycles of docetaxel completed at least 4 weeks prior to RT is permitted. The primary endpoint is metastasis-free survival, with secondary endpoints overall survival, PC-specific survival, PSA-progression free survival, time to subsequent hormonal therapy, time to castration-resistance, frequency and severity of adverse events, health related quality of life, fear of recurrence. Tertiary endpoints include incremental cost-effectiveness, and identification of prognostic and/or predictive biomarkers of treatment response, safety and resistance to study treatment.