Background In September 2011, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the use of abiraterone for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in men whose disease had progressed on docetaxel-based chemotherapy. In March 2012, abiraterone was included for this indication in our hospital’s formulary.

Purpose To assess the prescription profile of abiraterone for metastatic prostate cancer in a tertiary hospital.

Materials and methods All patients treated with abiraterone for metastatic prostate cancer during the study period (March 2012–September 2013) were included. Recorded variables were: age, performance status (ECOG), diagnosis date, type of metastasis, doses of abiraterone and start date, prior chemotherapy, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) when starting abiraterone. We checked that patient characteristics were consistent with the criteria for use of abiraterone in our hospital.

Results 35 patients started treatment with 1000 mg/24 h of abiraterone during the study period. The median (p25, p75) age was 77.8 (70.7, 82.0) years old. ECOG was: 0–1 (60% patients), ≥ 2 (22.9% patients) and unknown (17.1% patients). The median time since cancer diagnosis was 5.6 (3.1, 8.3) years. 100% of patients had bone metastases, and 44.1% of them also had lymph node metastases, 11.8% lymph node and lung, 5.9% lymph node and liver, 4.4% liver, and 4.4% liver and lymph node metastases. 100% of patients were on hormone treatment and all received docetaxel after progression to chemical castration (14.3% of them received docetaxel + cortisone). The median time of treatment with docetaxel was 7.0 (5.0, 8.6) months. After progression on docetaxel, 20% were treated with cabazitaxel before starting abiraterone. The median PSA at initiation of treatment with abiraterone was 68.9 (22.9,197.5) mcg/l.

Conclusions All patients had at least bone metastases and the disease had progressed on hormone treatment and docetaxel. Abiraterone prescription was consistent with the use criteria in our hospital in all cases.

No conflict of interest.