Monday 20 July 2015

Towards achieving the goal of “personalized” medical care in CRPC/HRPCA Therapeutics market

Prostate cancer is the most dominant cancer affecting men in the United States and castration-resistant prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in North America. According to an estimate by American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death overall and estimated to be only third most common cause of cancer death among men. Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) is defined as the progression of prostate cancer even after administration of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) used synonymously with androgen-independent (AIPC) and hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) and may consists of one or any combination of a continuous rise in serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), progression of pre-existing disease, or appearance of new phases of metastases. Recent advances in research technology and high-profile molecular characterization of the disease have led to discovery of new therapies in the CRPC therapeutics market and with an objective to target different pathways. The development of innovative therapies such as chemotherapy coupled with the novel breakthrough treatments will revolutionize patient management strategies in CRPC patients globally, resulting in the tremendous growth of the market. Chemotherapy is emerging as a preferred option of treatment of advanced stages of CRPC in comparison to other hormone therapies, such as abiraterone and enzalutamide, since it is less expensive than the former and also more effective.



 The market would be dominated by the developing regions of Asia-Pacific and third-world countries such as Latin America and Africa. As per a recent report by Allied Market Research titled “World Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC)/HRPCA Therapeutics - Market Opportunity and Forecast, 2014 – 2020” (CRPC)/HRPCA therapeutics market would reach $9.5 billion by the end of 2020, growing at 9.1% CAGR globally amid the forecast period. With increasing number of clinical trial options for CRPC treatment than before, the market is witnessing development of therapies that target alterations unique to an individual patient's prostate cancer molecular profile at a specific point in time. In recent drug developments brought about by global pharma companies, docetaxel has become a foundation on which researchers add novel agents aimed at increasing efficacy of the therapy treatment for HRPC. In a recent STAMPEDE clinical trial, presented by Dr Nicholas James from the University of Warwick, UK, the findings confirm that the addition of docetaxel to standard hormonal therapy greatly improved chances of overall survival (OS) among men with newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer.

Efforts are being made by researchers in the more effective characterization of molecular targets and mechanisms that lead to tumour growth in CRPC. As a result, many global pharma companies are investing their resources in the development and field trials of drugs that involve continuous activation of the androgenic receptors (ARs).


Healthcare providers are working on developing management strategies that consist of finding newer ways to increase the survival of men with progressive stages of prostate cancer. These developments are truly making CRPC treatment as an example of personalised medical care. This will offer invaluable help for clinicians to make wiser decisions in treating CRPC. However, achieving the goal of offering personalized medical treatment for this common malignancy will be a daunting task, closely watched by market participants and healthcare providers alike.