- The new therapies improve the expectations for patients in the metastatic stage, limiting pain and delaying the deterioration of their quality of life.
- The new indication for Cofepris recommends the use of the new molecule in combination with chemotherapy for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
- Studies show that the new drug can reduce the risk of death by more than 30% and significantly slow the progression of the disease in the patient.
The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) approved last week a new indication for Darolutamide, the most recent molecule authorized for the treatment of patients with metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (also called mHSPC).
Cases on the rise in the region
According to the estimates of the Global Cancer Observatory of the World Health Organization (WHO), prostate cancer is the most common tumor in men over 50 years of age in Latin America and the Caribbean. Each year 214,522 new cases and 57,415 deaths are reported.
Although the causes of this disease are unknown and there may be a hereditary disposition, the risk of contracting it increases with age. Sometimes it is a pathology considered silent because, as it does not have specific symptoms, it can be detected in advanced stages.
In some cases, the cancer ends up becoming resistant to conventional hormone therapy, Therefore, different therapeutic approaches are necessary to limit the disease and improve the quality of life.
In this regard, the Dr. Azucena Corro, Medical Manager of the Oncology Portfolio at Bayer Mexico, pointed out that there are new antiandrogens that are often used in conjunction with chemotherapy, in a multi-treatment approach against cancer and with different mechanisms of action. In this way, it is possible for patients who reach a metastatic stage to live longer and with a good quality of life.
This approach is based on the triple therapy approach. That is, that men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (that has spread to other parts of the body) receive joint treatment with an oral antiandrogen and two more therapies (chemotherapy plus androgen deprivation therapy), managing to reduce mortality by more than one 30% compared to the double scheme with chemotherapy and androgen deprivation.
Darolutamide has been approved in more than 50 countries around the world and minimizes the risk of adverse effects caused by other treatments in its class, such as fatigue, risk of fractures, falls, skin discomfort or gastric intolerance.
With this second indication approved by the Mexican health authority, the drug in combination with chemotherapy becomes a new standard of treatment for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. With this, he offers hope to men with this condition in our country.
According to National Institute of Public Health (INSP)In Mexico, prostate cancer is the deadliest type of tumor among men, with almost 10 deaths per 100,000 Mexicans. The same behavior is observed in Latin America because 413,000 new cases and 85,000 deaths are registered each year.
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