Treatment gains from the “sandwich method” of abiraterone acetate for men with metastatic prostate cancer: a case report and sharing of our experience

To date, how to select an appropriate strategy to treat advanced prostate cancer (PCa) patients with tumor progression after abiraterone acetate (AA) intervention is still confusing. Here, we conducted a case report and review of the literatures focused on this issue. A 63-year-old man presented initially with dysuria. Multiple pelvic bone metastases but no other lesions were detected. He was subsequently diagnosed with PCa after biopsies, the initial clinical staging was cT2cNxM1. This patient was treated with two periods of AA (first treatment: 16-month; secondary treatment: 19-month) combined with other therapeutic regimens [i.e., goserelin acetate, bicalutamide, docetaxel, and radical prostatectomy (RP), etc.], followed by a significant biochemical response during over 5 years of follow-up. In the present case report with 63 months of the treatment course, we found that patient with metastatic PCa who early received AA as the initial regimen could gain benefit from the retreatment of AA: minor progression and gain long-time survival. This "sandwich method" with AA administered initially, withdrawal, and sequentially following Bicalutamide, Docetaxel, RP, and retreatment of AA may prolong the response time of AA retreatment and delay the progression of metastatic PCa, which reminds clinicians should pay attention to this phenomenon and explore the underlying mechanisms.