Johnson & Johnson announced new results from the Phase 3 PROTEUS substudy of ERLEADA® (apalutamide), presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026.
In patients with high-risk localized or locally advanced prostate cancer, apalutamide plus hormone therapy given before and after surgery reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 62% compared with surgery alone. The regimen also lowered the risk of metastasis or death by 51%.
Nearly half of patients who undergo surgery for this type of cancer experience a recurrence. The findings could support expanding ERLEADA’s use to earlier stages of treatment, where more effective ways to prevent recurrence are needed.