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Health · Asia Pacific

Trial finds darolutamide reduced prostate cancer relapse risk by 58%

The global phase 3 DASL-HiCaP trial found that adding darolutamide to standard treatment reduced prostate cancer relapse and spread risk by 58 per cent. The 1,106 participants had very aggressive cancer or scans showing cancer in pelvic lymph nodes, and had undergone surgery or radiation.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 independent reports from 3 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 2 reportsHow it's made

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3 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 4 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 2 · R 0 · 1 unrated
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What happened

Key facts

  • The global phase 3 DASL-HiCaP trial found that adding darolutamide to standard treatment reduced prostate cancer relapse and spread risk by 58 per cent four years later (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • All 1,106 trial participants had very aggressive cancer or scans showing cancer in pelvic lymph nodes, and had undergone surgery or radiation (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • DASL-HiCaP co-chair Professor Christopher Sweeney said the trial showed a strong treatment effect and linked fewer relapses with more men living longer (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • Sweeney said adding testosterone suppression to radiation reduces relapses, but some men still experience relapse (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • Darolutamide is subsidised through Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for metastatic prostate cancer or cancer that does not respond to androgen deprivation therapy (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • More than 28,800 prostate cancer cases were diagnosed in Australia in 2025, and an estimated 38 per cent were high-risk, very-high-risk or advanced (per The Sydney Morning Herald).

The brief

The global phase 3 DASL-HiCaP trial found that adding darolutamide to standard treatment reduced the risk of prostate cancer relapse and spread by 58 per cent four years later. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that all 1,106 participants had very aggressive cancer or scans showing cancer in pelvic lymph nodes, and that each had undergone surgery or radiation.

The Sydney Morning Herald described the study as Australian-led and said it was conducted internationally. Its account identifies the treatment as darolutamide added to standard therapies.

The Business Wire and Carroll County News headlines describe the combination more specifically as darolutamide with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiation therapy, and characterize the measured risk as metastasis or death among patients at high risk of recurrence.

Professor Christopher Sweeney, co-chair of DASL-HiCaP, said the trial showed a strong treatment effect, with relapses substantially reduced. He also said fewer relapses were linked to more men living longer. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Sweeney is director of the South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute at the University of Adelaide.

Sweeney described an existing limitation of treatment: adding testosterone suppression to radiation reduces the number of men who relapse, but some still do. The trial result concerns the additional use of darolutamide alongside standard treatment; the account reports the 58 per cent reduction four years later.

The Sydney Morning Herald says darolutamide is subsidised through Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for metastatic prostate cancer or cancer that does not respond to androgen deprivation therapy. It does not say that this trial result changed subsidy eligibility.

The subsidy conditions reported therefore describe the existing coverage categories, rather than a newly announced policy. The same outlet reported that Australia diagnosed more than 28,800 prostate cancer cases in 2025 and estimated that 38 per cent of cases were high-risk, very-high-risk or advanced.

Those figures give national context for the disease categories, while the trial enrolled men with very aggressive cancer or pelvic lymph-node findings. The account does not provide a separate numerical outcome for each subgroup.

Why it matters

  • The trial’s 58 per cent reduction in relapse and spread risk is relevant to men with very aggressive prostate cancer or scans showing cancer in pelvic lymph nodes, the 1,106 participants described by the Sydney Morning Herald.
  • Sweeney said fewer relapses were linked with more men living longer, identifying a potential survival stake without reporting a separate survival figure.
  • Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidy is reported for metastatic prostate cancer or cancer that does not respond to androgen deprivation therapy; the trial result is not described as changing those eligibility conditions.

What to watch next

  • Whether the trial’s findings prompt the calls to change standard care described in the Sydney Morning Herald’s summary.
  • Whether subsequent reporting specifies separate outcomes for participants with very aggressive cancer and those with pelvic lymph-node findings.
  • Whether Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme changes its reported darolutamide subsidy conditions.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
3 source articles · 3 unique outlets · 2 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 2 Center · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 33% · Asia 33% · Other 34%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
2 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
3 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. In 1941, physicians Charles Huggins and Clarence Hodges showed that lowering testosterone could cause advanced prostate tumours to shrink or become less active.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Researchers registered the phase 3 DASL-HiCaP trial to test darolutamide after definitive treatment for high-risk prostate cancer.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. The DASL-HiCaP trial began enrolling participants.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. The ARASENS trial reported that adding darolutamide to standard treatment improved survival in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

Prostate cancer has long been understood as a disease whose growth is often driven by male hormones, particularly androgens such as testosterone. In 1941, physicians Charles Huggins and Clarence Hodges showed that lowering testosterone could cause advanced prostate tumours to shrink or become less active.

Their findings established androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)—achieved through surgery or medication—as a foundation of treatment. ADT can control cancer, but it does not remove every tumour cell, and some cancers eventually grow despite continued hormone suppression. Treatment developed along two complementary paths.

Original sources

1 of 3 articles · Asia · Show all

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