July Prostate Cancer Highlights: Top 5 Updates Patients Should Know

New insights highlight how prostate cancer is now managed as a chronic disease, with emerging treatments and real-world data offering renewed hope for patients.

As July comes to an end, the conversation around prostate cancer is expanding, particularly in understanding what survivorship looks like for those with metastatic disease.

The latest insights, many of which were recently shared in patient interviews and study updates, point to a growing recognition that survivorship in prostate cancer is not defined by a cure but by chronic management. Moreover, several new findings highlight meaningful progress in treatment development.

These evolving perspectives and therapeutic advances underscore a shift toward more personalized approaches in prostate cancer care. Read on to learn more about each of these developments.

Understanding Survivorship for Those With Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Bob Lane, a prostate cancer survivor living with metastatic disease and receiving Erleada (apalutamide), describes survivorship not as a state of being cured, but as ongoing management.

I like to remind people that if they say you're cured, you are never truly cured when you have metastatic disease; it's a bit different. Once your [prostate cancer] reaches the metastatic level, it's managed, not cured. I'm being managed, and that's good. Management involves many treatments, and these treatments typically go on forever, Lane said in an interview with CURE when asked about survivorship.

He goes on to emphasize that metastatic prostate cancer is treated chronically, not eradicated, and managing both the physical and emotional aspects is key to maintaining quality of life.

Physically, Lane experiences fatigue, strength loss, and joint pain; these are all side effects he mitigates through lifestyle adjustments such as resistance training, dietary changes, and strategic rest. His message to others: stay engaged, build a support system, and choose to keep living fully despite uncertainty.

New Treatment Combo is Safe for Advanced Prostate Cancer

Carotuximab (ENV-105), a CD105-targeting antibody, was well tolerated when combined with Erleada in the first 10 patients enrolled in a phase 2 trial for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, with no serious side effects reported, according to a news release from Kairos Pharma. Encouraged by this early safety data, the trial will continue enrolling up to 100 patients at multiple U.S. centers, including Cedars-Sinai, City of Hope, and Huntsman Cancer Center, with interim results expected in September 2025.

“The favorable safety profile observed in this phase 2 study is encouraging, as it validates our belief in ENV-105’s clinical potential and supports continued development in a patient population with limited effective treatment options,” Dr. John Yu, CEO of Kairos Pharma, said in the news release.

The study compares standard-of-care Erleada alone versus in combination with intravenous carotuximab, with crossover permitted upon disease progression. Given the growing challenge of hormone-resistant prostate cancer, Kairos Pharma intends to explore phase 3 development pending further data.

Long-Term Findings Support Current Prostate Cancer Guidelines

Men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer who receive treatment aligned with current clinical guidelines are significantly more likely to die of other natural causes than from the disease itself, according to findings published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

In a study of 62,839 men treated per guidelines, researchers found that 15-year prostate cancer mortality ranged from approximately 5.5% for low-risk patients to 22% for those with very high-risk disease. Over a 30-year period, these rates increased to 12% and 30%, respectively; this is below the risk of dying from other causes, which ranged from 63% to 77%.

The research, conducted using data from the National Prostate Cancer Register of Sweden, focused on patients diagnosed from 2000 to 2020 and followed through 2022. Most were treated with radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy (with or without androgen deprivation therapy), or active surveillance. Ultimately, men were two to six times more likely to die from non-cancer causes such as cardiovascular disease.

"Men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer who received primary treatment according to current guidelines were up to 6 times more likely to die of other causes than from their cancer. These estimates provide realistic but high expectations of the outcomes of modern treatment and can serve as benchmarks for clinical outcome reporting," first study, Dr. Pietro Scilipoti, and colleagues concluded of their research.

Scilipoti works in the Department of Surgical Sciences, at Uppsala University, located in Sweden.

What is the New Standard of Care for Prostate Cancer?

Recent real-world data suggest that Erleada (apalutamide) may offer a survival advantage over other guideline-supported options for patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer. In a study led by Dr. Mehmet Bilen, patients treated with Erleada experienced a 23% reduction in mortality at 24 months compared to those treated with Xtandi (enzalutamide). Although observational and requiring further validation, these findings may help guide patient-provider discussions, particularly in the absence of head-to-head trials.

“The 23% reduction in mortality observed with Erleada in this real-world study may contribute to more informed treatment discussions between patients and their care teams… This type of real-world evidence can offer complementary insight into how treatments perform in routine practice settings,” Bilen emphasized in the interview.

He is an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, as well as the director of the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Additionally, he works with the Fellowship Program of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology and serves on the Winship Clinical and Translational Review Committee.

Real-world evidence can provide practical insights into how treatments perform in diverse clinical settings. Differences in side effect profiles, patient comorbidities, and personal preferences remain key to therapy selection. Bilen advised newly diagnosed patients to engage in open conversations with their care teams and noted that the growing availability of effective therapies allows for more personalized, patient-centered care.

FDA Status Granted to New Agent in Prostate Cancer

The FDA has granted fast track designation to TRE-515, an investigational oral therapy, for use in combination with radioligand therapy in prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to a news release from Trethera Corporation.

This designation aims to expedite development of treatments for serious conditions with limited options and reflects promising early findings from a Phase 1 trial of TRE-515 in solid tumors, where the agent showed signs of antitumor activity and a favorable safety profile.

The fast track status supports the combination of TRE-515 with Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan), an FDA-approved radiopharmaceutical for PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

References

1. “Kairos Pharma Announces Positive Safety Results from Phase 2 Trial of ENV-105 in Advanced Prostate Cancer.” News release. July 15, 2025, Kairos Pharma.
2. “FDA Grants Fast Track Designation for TRE-515 in Combination with Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer.” July 9, 2025. News release. Threthera Corporation.

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