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.