New therapies are constantly being studied in clinical trials leading to novel treatments for patients with prostate cancer. Some of these therapies slow the spread or even kill prostate cancer by delivering a chemical, radioactive, or immune cell payload to the prostate cancer anywhere in the body. One example of these new technologies is the Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC). This therapy involves attaching a chemotherapeutic drug to an immune protein called an antibody. When injected into the blood, these ADCs seek out cancer and releases the chemotherapeutic payload into the prostate cancer cell. New therapies like these allow people to live longer and have a better quality of life. 

Despite the success of these new therapies, not all people respond the same. Cancer therapies may respond exceptionally well or have little or no effect, depending on a number of factors including race or ethnicity. This varying response will continue to grow as new drugs are genetically requiring greater male diversity in treatment options. Since Black men have historically been underrepresented in prostate cancer clinical trials, a more concerted effort is needed to increase their participation in prostate cancer clinical trials. 

To address this need, PHEN has created Clinical Trial Learning Sessions. In conjunction with leading cancer medical centers, PHEN brings Black men and clinical trial doctors together so that both understand each other's expectations from the clinical trial and to develop a relationship with these well-known cancer centers. 

PHEN's first virtual learning session of 2023 is on March 2nd at 6:00 PM EST with Johns Hopkins. During this session, men will learn about current prostate cancer clinical trials, ask the doctors who are running these trials questions and discuss their concerns. The clinical trials, which will be discussed, are found below.

• PROMISE REGISTRY: PROMISE is a nationwide registry of prostate cancer patients with inherited mutations. The PROMISE team is studying how these mutations affect patient outcomes. Promise is a free genetic test that does not require a doctor's order. It is available to all men diagnosed with prostate cancer and involves taking a saliva sample. Learn More

• STEP-UP Trial: This is a phase II trial for men with prostate cancer that has spread to the bones (metastatic). The trial studies the effect of changing high-dose testosterone and enzalutamide compared with enzalutamide alone. Past studies have shown that testosterone alone may help stop the growth of prostate cancer cells. It may also improve the disease response to enzalutamide.

• Study Assessing the Safety and Efficacy of Oral Testosterone Undecanoate Followed by Enzalutamide as Therapy for Men With mCRPC: Previous studies, which injected high dose testosterone therapy into the muscle of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), suggested that high serum levels of testosterone may improve prostate cancer treatment response. This study will help doctors understand if treating mCRPC men with the highest "FDA approved dose of oral testosterone therapy" will have a similar effect as receiving injected testosterone therapy.

You may also be interested in other clinical trials:

• Tamarack: This trial is for men with mCRPC and uses targeted drug therapy, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), to treat prostate cancer. This ADC, MGC018, binds to the surface of prostate cancer cells and releases a chemotherapeutic drug (duocarmazine) into the cancer cells. This study seeks to determine if MGC018 and drugs like abiraterone, enzalutamide, or apalutamide promote a better clinical response than either drug alone. Learn More

• AMG 757: This trial is for patients with a very aggressive form of prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumor, and seeks to evaluate the safety and tolerability of Tarlatamab. Tarlatamab, a T-cell engager, binds to DLL3, a protein found on prostate cancer and immune system cells, at the same time, slows growth or causes prostate cancer cell death. Learn More