Therapy decisions for the symptomatic patient with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Metastatic prostate cancer continues to kill approximately 30,000 men per year. Since 2010, five new therapeutic agents have been Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). With the increasing number of therapies available to clinicians, the most effective sequence in which to implement these treatments remains unknown. The presence or absence of symptoms (i. e., bony pain, visceral crisis) is a key parameter that informs the decision-making process regarding therapy. Treatment algorithms based on: 1) asymptomatic/minimal symptoms, 2) moderate symptoms or chemotherapy ineligible or 3) symptomatic disease need to be developed.