What the trial was testing
The EMPIRE-1 enrolled 165 patients with prostate cancer. The study was sponsored by Emory University and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was mid-stage testing (phase 2/3). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
76% of men who got the advanced scan before radiation were cancer-free at 3 years, versus 63% with standard imaging.
Lancet (London, England) · 2021 · NCT01666808
These findings — that advanced PET scan before radiation improved outcomes vs. standard scans — were published in the Lancet (London, England) and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 165 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with prostate cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
If your PSA is rising after prostate surgery and your doctor is planning radiation, ask about this imaging scan — it helped radiation work better in this study. The scan is FDA-approved and may help your radiation oncologist find and treat cancer more accurately. Your insurance may cover it.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open prostate cancer trials
Zanzalintinib in Men With Aggressive Variant Prostate Cancer
This is a multi-center single arm phase II study to evaluate the antitumor activity of zanzalintinib 60mg orally (PO) once daily in subjects with AVPC. Zanzalintinib may continue until radiographic progression (or beyond), intolerable adverse events, or withdrawal of consent. As long as the subject is clinically stable, subjects may receive study treatment even after radiographic progression, until they are no longer clinically benefiting from the study treatment in the opinion of the treating Investigator, or they need subsequent systemic anticancer treatment or other urgent tumor directed medical intervention to prevent life-threatening complications. This study will use a 2-stage group-sequential design for enrollment. The first stage will consist of enrolling 15 subjects. No more than 5 of the first 15 subjects can have received chemotherapy in the castrate- resistant setting.
Clinical, Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Prostate Cancer Progression.
The course and progression of prostate cancer is highly variable, depending on the individual characteristics, the aggressiveness of the disease at the time of diagnosis as well as the ethno-geographic origins of the individuals. The general objective of the project is to identify the clinical, genetic and environmental determinants (risk factors) of the evolution, progression and complications of the disease according to the treatment options. Identifying modifiable and non-modifiable prognostic determinants of disease progression is a major challenge. This knowledge will help guide treatment choices but also, especially in high-risk populations (high incidence of disease) to better tailor prevention policies and possibly screening .