Plasma Cell-free DNA Concentration and Outcomes from Taxane Therapy in Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer from Two Phase III Trials (FIRSTANA and PROSELICA)

In the past decade, several new therapies have been introduced for men diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. Although metastatic prostate cancer remains incurable, these novel agents have extended patient survival and improved their quality of life in comparison with the last decade. To further optimise treatment allocation and individualise patient care, better tests (biomarkers) are needed to guide the delivery of improved and more precise care. In this report, we assessed cfDNA in over 2500 blood samples from men with prostate cancer who were recruited to two separate international studies and received taxane chemotherapy. We quantified the concentration of cfDNA fragments in blood plasma, which partly originates from tumour. We identified that higher concentrations of circulating cfDNA fragments, prior to starting taxane chemotherapy, can be used to identify patients with aggressive prostate cancer. A decline in cfDNA concentration during the first 3-9 wk after initiation of taxane therapy was seen in patients deriving benefit from taxane chemotherapy. These results identified circulating cfDNA as a new biomarker of aggressive disease in metastatic prostate cancer and imply that the study of cfDNA has clinical utility, supporting further efforts to develop blood-based tests on this circulating tumour-derived DNA.