ASPIRE: A randomized phase III trial of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus apalutamide (A) with or without docetaxel (D) in metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) stratified by tumor suppressor gene alterations (Alliance A032302).
TPS290 Background: Landmark randomized trials established the survival benefit of adding D to ADT in mCSPC. Building on this foundation, subsequent trials (PEACE-1 and ARASENS) demonstrated further survival improvements when androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI) were added to the ADT + D backbone. However, the independent contribution of D within the triplet regimen remains unclear given lack of prospective evaluation. Additionally, tumor suppressor gene (TSG) alterations involving TP53, PTEN, and RB1 are frequently observed in PC and are associated with aggressive biology and poor outcomes, providing an opportunity to enhance prognostic accuracy and optimize selection of candidates for treatment intensification. We hypothesize that adding D to ADT plus A will improve survival compared to ADT + A in mCSPC and stratification by TSG status may identify different treatment effects across molecular subgroups. Methods: ASPIRE is an open-label, two-arm, randomized phase 3 study to assess the benefit of D added to ADT plus A for patients with mCSPC. Eligible patients include those with confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate with evidence of distant metastatic disease on conventional imaging and are appropriate to receive D. Patients with metachronous low-volume disease or PSMA-PET only disease are excluded. Candidates must have next-generation sequencing (NGS) results from a CLIA-certified tissue test available for TSG status stratification at registration. Eligible patients will receive ADT plus A (240 mg PO daily) +/- D for up to 6 cycles until progression of disease by PCWG3/RECIST version 1.1 criteria. Prior therapy with ADT (with or without ARPI) initiated within 120 days before registration is permitted. The primary endpoint is overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints include OS by TSG status; radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS); time to castration resistance; symptomatic skeletal event–free survival; time to worsening of disease-related symptoms (NCCN-FACT FPSI-17); safety and tolerability (CTCAE v5.0); PSA90 response at 6 weeks and 6 months; time to PSA progression; and objective response rate in patients with measurable disease. The study will enroll 1200 patients and is currently actively accruing patients. Clinical trial information: NCT06931340 .
Comprehensive genomic profiling of Black and non-Hispanic White (NHW) men with prostate cancer (PCa).
5022 Background: Racial disparities are evident in PCa, with Black men experiencing a higher incidence and worse survival compared to NHW patients (pts). The molecular alterations that distinguish these groups remain incompletely characterized. Herein, we investigate the clinical-genomic features that potentially contribute to the differences in outcomes between Black and NHW pts with PCa. Methods: Comprehensive next-generation sequencing of DNA (592-gene panel/whole exome) and RNA (whole transcriptome) was performed at Caris Life Sciences on PCa tissue samples (n = 5,412), collected from 2015 to 2023. Transcriptomic signatures – Androgen Receptor (AR), Neuroendocrine PCa (NEPC) scores – were calculated. Real-world overall survival (OS) data was obtained from insurance claims and was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimation. Results: Overall, 1,078 pts with PCa identified as Black, while 4,334 were NHW. Black pts were younger at biopsy collection than NHW pts (median age 66 vs 71 years, P < 0.001). The proportion of metastatic samples was higher in Black pts compared to NHW pts (43% vs 38%, P < 0.01). The prevalence of castrated PCa specimens was similar between Black and NHW pts (26.0% vs 25.4%, P = 0.72). Among non-castrated PCa tumors, tumors from NHW pts had more frequent alterations in TP53 , PTEN , PIK3CA , and CHEK2 , while tumors from Black pts had more SPOP and CTNNB1 mutations. In the castrate setting, TP53 and PTEN alterations were more frequent in tissue samples from NHW pts, while CDK12 and SPOP mutations were more frequent in tumors from Black pts. TMPRSS2 fusions were more prevalent in the NHW cohort across both castrated and non-castrated tumors. Tumors from Black pts had higher FOLH1 / PSMA and STEAP1 expression, elevated AR scores, but lower CD276 / B7H3 expression and NEPC scores. In the overall cohort, Black pts demonstrated a shorter median OS from diagnosis compared to NHW pts (86 vs 94 mos, P = 0.03). Black pts had a significantly longer time on treatment with enzalutamide in both the non-castrate (HR 0.82, P= 0.04) and castrate subgroups (HR 0.77, P= 0.03). Among pts with homologous recombination repair (HRR) deficiency-harboring tumors, PARP inhibitors provided a numerically longer survival benefit in Black pts than in NHW pts (21 vs 13 mos, P = 0.09). Conclusions: This multi-institutional study reveals distinct molecular profiles between Black and NHW pts with PCa. Despite having molecular features associated with better prognosis, Black men demonstrated worse survival outcomes, pointing to multifaceted determinants of disease outcomes. Notably, Black pts had improved outcomes on enzalutamide and showed potential benefit from PARP inhibitors in the presence of HRR mutations. These findings highlight genomic differences in diverse PCa populations and suggest therapeutic opportunities to address outcome disparities.