Degarelix therapy for prostate cancer in a real-world setting: experience from the German IQUO (Association for Uro-Oncological Quality Assurance) Firmagon® registry

BACKGROUND: We investigated the use of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist degarelix in everyday clinical practice using registry data from uro-oncology practices in Germany. METHODS: Data were analysed retrospectively from the IQUO (Association for uro-oncological quality assurance) patient registry. Data were prospectively collected from all consecutive PCa patients treated with degarelix (n = 1010) in 138 uro-oncology practices in Germany between May 2009 and December 2013. RESULTS: Median overall survival had not yet been reached in the all-patient group or in subgroups who had or had not received prior hormonal therapy (HT). Cox regression analysis showed that patients who had received prior HT (n = 542) had a 58 % increased mortality risk (hazard ratio 1.58, 95 % CI 1.20–2.09) versus patients who had not (n = 468) (p = 0.001). Also, in patients who had received prior luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue therapy (LHRH agonists or GnRH antagonists), median time to PSA progression was shorter (209 weeks) than in those who had not received prior LHRH analogues (n = 555; median PSA progression-free survival not yet reached). Degarelix was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Degarelix was effective and well tolerated in everyday clinical practice, confirming observations from clinical studies. Patients who received prior HT appeared to have a significantly higher mortality risk.