Challenges For The Development Of New Agents In Prostate Cancer

Development of novel therapeutic agents in advanced prostate cancer presents particular challenges due to multiple factors including advanced age at diagnosis with competing causes of death and difficulties in assessing responses in bone (the predominant site of metastatic disease). Over the last 2 decades, few non hormonal drugs have met the regulatory requirements for approval in advanced prostate cancer. These include mitoxantrone (1996), zoledronic acid (2002) and docetaxel (2004). Sipuleucel-T, an autologous cell based vaccine and cabazitaxel were approved in 2010. Despite these breakthroughs, the general landscape for new and effective treatments in prostate cancer remains challenging. The aim of this review is to discuss the specific obstacles in the development of novel agents in prostate cancer and potential strategies to overcome them.