Targeted Treatment Delays Advanced Prostate Cancer

Last Updated on November 11, 2025 by Team MSW

If you or someone you love is living with advanced prostate cancer, there’s encouraging news. A large international study suggests that adding the targeted therapy niraparib to standard hormone treatment (abiraterone acetate and prednisone, or AAP) can meaningfully slow the disease — especially for men with certain DNA-repair gene changes.

In plain terms: for a sizable group of patients, this combo could buy more good months with fewer worsening symptoms.

Around one in four men with advanced prostate cancer have alterations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes such as BRCA1/2, CHEK2, or PALB2. These mutations can make the cancer more aggressive and quicker to progress on today’s standard treatments.

The trial, which enrolled 696 men across 32 countries (average age 68), found that niraparib plus AAP reduced the risk of cancer growth by 37% overall — and by 48% in men with BRCA1/2 changes — versus AAP alone, after about 31 months of follow-up. Patients on the combo also saw symptoms worsen half as often as those on placebo (16% vs. 34%), hinting at a better day-to-day quality of life.

Here’s what’s noteworthy: This isn’t just another incremental tweak — it points toward more personalized, genetics-guided care from the very start of treatment. As study lead Professor Gerhardt Attard explained,

“By combining with niraparib we can delay the cancer returning and hopefully significantly prolonging life expectancy.” He also emphasized the bigger takeaway: “These findings are striking because they support widespread genomic testing at diagnosis with use of a targeted treatment for patients who stand to derive the greatest benefit.”

There are cautions. Side effects were more common with niraparib, including higher rates of anemia and high blood pressure (about a quarter needed blood transfusions), so close monitoring matters. And while there’s a trend toward better overall survival, researchers want more time to confirm a life-extension benefit.

If advanced prostate cancer is on your radar, ask your care team about HRR gene testing. Knowing your genetic profile could open the door to a treatment plan that better fits your biology — potentially delaying progression and easing symptoms.

For the full details and context, read the original report from Good News Network: Prostate Cancer Patients Offered Fresh Hope by Promising New Drug Combination.

Explore the full article to see whether genomic testing and this combination therapy may be worth discussing at your next appointment.