The pharmaceutical company Pfizer has announced that ‘Talzenna’ (talazoparib) is now available in Spain, the first and only oral inhibitor of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) in combination with enzalutamide, which is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, in which chemotherapy is not clinically indicated, and with mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes (germline or somatic).
«This therapeutic option represents a very significant advance in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, specifically, in cases in which a mutation occurs in the homologous recombination repair genes, which are the ones that present a worse prognosis for the disease and worse response to conventional treatments,” explained the medical oncologist, head of section and head of the Genitourinary, Central Nervous System, Sarcoma and Tumors of Unknown Origin Unit at the Vall d’Hebron hospital, Dr. Joan Carles.
Improved patient survival
In this sense, he has highlighted that this new therapeutic option allows prolonging the control of the disease and improving the survival of patients, which facilitates a more effective response in such a “critical” phase of the disease, as it represents its final stage and The prognosis is unfavorable, since the average overall survival is less than three years and the 5-year survival rate is 30 percent. Furthermore, between 20-30 percent of patients have alterations in the ‘HRR’ genes – the most common are BRCA1/2 – which are associated with a worse prognosis, although there are also others such as PALB2, CDK12, ATM or CHEK2.
BRCA1/2 alterations, which cause them to not function correctly and the cell to accumulate errors, have also made it possible to identify vulnerabilities in tumor cells and new treatments. It should be noted that these mutations can be detected through a blood test or the patient’s tumor.
This inhibitor attacks cancer cells by blocking the normal activity of PARP, preventing DNA repair, and trapping PARP in damaged areas of the DNA, increasing its cytotoxic activity, so that the affected cells end up in a process of cell death, which contributes to the elimination of tumor cells.
«The introduction of this new combination marks an important advance for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. With this therapeutic option, we offer a crucial alternative in situations where other therapies are no longer effective,” said the medical director of Pfizer Spain, José Chaves.
In addition, he highlighted that “providing new hope” to patients is one of his main motivations, highlighting that these efforts take them “one step closer to offering personalized and effective solutions for those facing oncological diseases.”
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