New research has demonstrated that an AI-based test developed by US-based Artera can help identify which men with non-metastatic high-risk prostate cancer are most likely to benefit from being administered abiraterone.
Abiraterone (Zytiga) is an androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) used in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) that no longer responds to standard hormone therapy.
The ArteraAI test assesses prostate needle biopsy images to provide risk stratification and prediction of the benefits of ADT for prostate cancer patients.
Researchers from the UK’s Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and University College London (UCL) applied the test to biopsy images from more than 1,000 men who took part in the Stampede trial (NCT00268476), coordinated by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit at UCL and funded by Cancer Research UK.
ArteraAI helped identify that 25% of men with high-risk prostate cancer from the Stampede trial who would most likely benefit from receiving abiraterone.
For those patients with biomarker-positive tumours, abiraterone cut the risk of death after five years from 17% to 9%.
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By GlobalDataFull details of the study will be shared during a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2025 meeting, taking place from 30 May to 3 June in Chicago, Illinois.
Nick James, professor of prostate and bladder cancer research at the Institute of Cancer Research and consultant clinical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, served as chief investigator on the STAMPEDE and is co-leader of the current research.
James noted that since abiraterone comes with potential side effects that may require additional monitoring, such as potential issues with high blood pressure and liver abnormalities, knowing who is most likely to benefit is “very valuable”.
He said: “This research shows that we can pick out the people who will respond best to abiraterone, and those who will do well from standard treatment alone – hormone therapy and radiotherapy.”
Abiraterone is indicated for use on the UK National Health Service (NHS) in England for patients with advanced prostate cancer that has come back and spread to other parts of the body, but not for patients newly diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer that has not yet spread. However, abiraterone has been available for men with this indication in Scotland and Wales for two years.
The study’s co-lead UCL Cancer Institute professor Gert Attard commented: “This study shows, in a very large cohort of patients, that novel algorithms can be used to extract information from routinely available pathology slides to tailor these treatments to specific patients and minimise over-treatment while maximising the chance of cure.”
