CUTTING EDGE TREATMENT

About Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) and Bone Metastases

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States other than skin cancer. Approximately 4 percent of prostate cancer cases are considered distant, which means that the cancer has spread beyond the prostate to distant areas of the body (metastasized). If prostate cancer starts to spread to other areas of the body, it most commonly goes to the bone.

Bone is the most common site in the body to be affected by metastatic cancer, and bone metastases are particularly prevalent in patients with prostate cancer.  Approximately 90 percent of patients with metastatic prostate cancer show evidence of bone metastases. Bone metastases can lead to an increase in frequency of skeletal events and are shown to be one of the main causes of death in patients with CRPC.

About Xofigo^® (radium Ra 223 dichloride) Injection

Xofigo is indicated for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastatic disease.

Xofigo is an alpha particle-emitting radioactive therapeutic agent with an anti-tumor effect on bone metastases. The active ingredient in Xofigo is the alpha particle-emitting isotope radium-223, which mimics calcium and forms complexes with the bone mineral hydroxyapatite at areas of increased bone turnover, such as bone metastases. The high linear energy transfer of Xofigo may cause double-strand DNA breaks in adjacent cells, resulting in an anti-tumor effect on bone metastases. The alpha particle range from radium-223 dichloride is less than 100 micrometers which may limit the damage to the surrounding normal tissue.