Physician-reported comorbidities and treatment management in patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
149 Background: With the emergence of potent therapies in non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) there is a need to understand the impact of nmCRPC treatments on patient comorbidities and concomitant medications. The goal of this study was to understand treatment management of nmCRPC in patients with pre-existing comorbidities from a physician perspective. Methods: Physicians who treated nmCRPC patients with systemic therapy were recruited from a US physician panel for an online survey (Sept-Oct 2019). Physician responses included physician treatment practice, demographic characteristics, and their 'typical' nmCRPC patient profile from the past 6 months (e.g., health profile, disease management, and quality of life [QOL]). Results: Fifty US physicians (56% urologists, 44% oncologists) with 21±6 years in practice, treated on average 30 nmCRPC patients in the past 6 months. The most common nmCRPC treatments were leuprolide acetate (82%), enzalutamide (80%) and apalutamide (70%). The most common comorbidities reported were hypertension (96%), sexual dysfunction (94%), diabetes (92%), myocardial infarction (88%) and urinary issues (88%). 78% of the physicians reported taking comorbidities and medications for comorbidities into consideration when prescribing nmCRPC treatments. Between 15%-28% of physicians reported a change in nmCRPC prostate treatment and 19%-26% reported a dose change in nmCRPC treatment for up to 1/3 of their patients due to comorbidities (Table). For QOL, urologists versus oncologists indicated more days with poor health status among nmCRPC patients (e.g., median poor mental health days 30-days prior to treatment: urologists=15 days vs oncologists=5 days). Conclusions: Many physicians take into account pre-existing comorbidities and their medications when prescribing nmCRPC treatments. Differences in perceived QOL were observed between physician specialty. These findings highlight the importance of considering therapies that lessen the treatment burden in nmCRPC. [Table: see text]