Killing the Last 0.1%: Targeting Cancer Persister Cells

Cancer therapy has a persistent blind spot. Tumors shrink, biomarkers improve, scans look clean—and yet relapse remains common. The reason is often a tiny population of surviving cells known as persisters. These cells are not genetically resistant. They are identical to the bulk tumor but enter a transient, drug-tolerant state that allows them to survive […]

Phase III PrTK03 Trial Results: Aglatimagene Besadenovec (CAN-2409) Improves Survival in Localized Prostate Cancer

The phase III PrTK03 trial, reported in The Lancet Oncology, demonstrates that adding aglatimagene besadenovec (CAN-2409) plus valacyclovir to standard radiotherapy improves disease-free survival in patients with localized prostate cancer. Aglatimagene is an intratumoral adenoviral gene therapy that delivers the HSV-tk gene, enabling tumor cells to convert the prodrug valacyclovir into a cytotoxic metabolite that […]

Phase 2 Trial for 61Cu-NU101 vs 18F-Piflufolastat in Metastatic Prostate Cancer

61Cu-NU101 is a new PSMA-targeted PET/SPECT tracer for prostate cancer that showed promise in phase 1, detecting more lesions than 18F-piflufolastat (Pylarify) in half of the 8 patients studied, with lower background uptake and no side effects. The key advantage is its 3.3-hour half-life, compared to 68 minutes for 68Ga-PSMA-11 and 109 minutes for 18F-piflufolastat. […]

UPDATE: Memantine for Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer, Early Efficacy Signals

Prostate cancer can become harder to treat when it changes from the usual adenocarcinoma form into neuroendocrine prostate cancer, or NEPC. A recent study suggests that this transition may begin earlier than expected, during an intermediate phase when the cells are still partly prostate-like but are already starting to acquire neuroendocrine features. A central finding […]

BRCA-Altered mCSPC Progresses Faster on ARPIs: A Real-World Treatment Gap

Recent real-world data clarify how homologous recombination repair (HRR) alterations, especially BRCA1/2 mutations, affect outcomes in metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs). In a US cohort of 745 patients, overall differences in time-to-next-treatment (TTNT) and time-to-castration resistance (TTCR) were modest between patients without HRR alterations and those with non-BRCA […]

Ultrasound-Driven Cavitation Reprograms Drug Response and Immune Sensitivity in Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer

Acoustic cavitation is emerging as a surprisingly powerful tool in the therapeutic landscape of neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a disease state notoriously resistant to conventional treatments. By combining nanometer-scale lipid microbubbles with targeted ultrasound, researchers are leveraging a physical mechanism to overcome some of the most entrenched biological barriers in aggressive prostate cancer. At its […]

Confirmed Efficacy of Rucaparib in BRCA-Mutated mCRPC

Rucaparib continues to strengthen its position in BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), an advanced form of prostate cancer that progresses despite hormonal therapy, with TRITON3 trial confirming not only its efficacy but also a predictable and manageable safety profile. In this phase 3 study of chemotherapy-naïve patients progressing after one prior androgen receptor pathway […]

Real-World OPTYX Study: Sustained Castration and Rapid Testosterone Recovery with Relugolix

Relugolix (Orgovyx), the first oral androgen deprivation therapy approved for advanced prostate cancer, continues to show consistent performance in real-world settings. New data from the OPTYX study, a prospective observational analysis, provide further evidence on testosterone suppression, recovery, and PSA control in routine clinical practice. The study included 999 patients, predominantly with nonmetastatic disease and […]