When is Zytiga Used?
- Zytiga treats metastatic prostate cancer by reducing male hormone production, slowing tumor growth.
- The drug is FDA-approved for both hormone-resistant and hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer.
- Zytiga is often used in combination with chemotherapy or hormone therapy to more completely attack cancer cells.
- Taken with prednisone, Zytiga has several side effects and requires regular liver function monitoring.
- New data suggests taking a quarter dose of Zytiga with a low-fat breakfast may be as effective as full dose and reduces costs significantly, making Zytiga more accessible to patients with limited coverage.
Dr. David Wise, a medical oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center tells SurvivorNet that the drug has shown real promise.
Read MoreWhat types of prostate cancer does Zytiga treat?
Zytiga is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat various stages of prostate cancer in order to improve survival and slow down disease progression. Dr. Wise explains that Zytiga is primarily used in two distinct forms of metastatic prostate cancer:- Hormone-resistant metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC): This type of prostate cancer no longer responds to hormone therapy and has spread beyond the prostate.
- Hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer (mHSPC): This type of prostate cancer still responds to hormone therapy despite spreading to other parts of the body.
This broad approval underlines the drug’s effectiveness in targeting prostate cancer cells that have grown resistant to traditional hormone therapy.
How is Zytiga used?
As Dr. Wise explains, Zytiga is taken in pill form once a day. It’s typically given along with other treatments like chemotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
The combination approach boosts treatment effectiveness by attacking cancer cells from multiple angles. It raises the likelihood of slowing cancer progression or reaching remission, a period of time where the disease either stops advancing or vanishes.
Zytiga does cause side effects, particularly elevated blood pressure and fluid retention. For this reason, Zytiga is often paired with the steroid prednisone to help manage the side effects and make treatment easier to manage.
“The addition of prednisone to Zytiga’s regimen necessitates frequent blood tests, particularly to monitor liver function,” Dr. Wise explains. “This increased monitoring is crucial to ensure patient safety and manage any potential side effects effectively.”
Related: How to Treat Late-Stage Prostate Cancer: New Treatment Developments
How exactly does Zytiga work?
One of the factors that can make prostate cancer grow faster is the male hormone called testosterone. Testosterone can attach to receptors on prostate cancer cells and stimulate them to multiply and invade other tissues.
Zytiga works by blocking an enzyme called CYP17, which is involved in making testosterone. By blocking this enzyme, Zytiga reduces the amount of testosterone in the body from all sources: the testicles, the adrenal glands, and the prostate cancer cells.
In this way, Zytiga deprives the prostate cancer cells of the hormone they need to grow and spread.
Dr. Wise stresses that Zytiga is not a cure for prostate cancer. But it can help to slow down its progression and improve the survival of men with advanced prostate cancer.
Related: New Hope For Advanced Prostate Cancer
How much does Zytiga cost?
Zytiga has become an important drug in advanced prostate cancer treatment because it is accessible and affordable. A new way to give the drug has further reduced its cost.
Patients can now take just a quarter dose of Zytiga with a low-fat breakfast and get the same therapeutic effect as the full dose. This is particularly helpful for those with limited drug coverage.
Dr. Wise highlights this development, stating, “So now we’re talking about cutting that cost by four-fold, which is really very important for a lot of our patients,” Dr. Wise says.
Related: When Should I Consider Clinical Trials?
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