How to cite: Crawford ED. Quality of Life, Adherence, and Adverse Events Among Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer Treated with Relugolix: 6-Month Results of the OPTYX Multicenter Registry. Grand Rounds in Urology. April 2026. Accessed Oct 2026. https://grandroundsinurology.com/quality-of-life-adherence-and-adverse-events-among-patients-with-advanced-prostate-cancer-treated-with-relugolix-6-month-results-of-the-optyx-multicenter-registry
Summary
E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, interviews Rana R. McKay, MD, FASCO, Professor of Medicine and Urology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, regarding early findings from the OPTYX registry evaluating relugolix in patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer.
Dr. McKay explains that while the Phase 3 HERO trial establishes rapid and sustained testosterone suppression with relugolix, the OPTYX registry is a prospective postmarketing registry designed to address questions about adherence, quality of life, and safety in routine clinical practice.
Dr. McKay reports that the registry enrolls 999 patients from 2022 through 2024 and prospectively captures outcomes using structured case report forms and patient-reported assessments. Quality-of-life, as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate, remains stable from baseline over the first 6 months, including among patients receiving relugolix as monotherapy or in combination with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors.
The discussion emphasizes medication adherence, a key question for an oral ADT. Using a simplified medication adherence questionnaire, most patients report taking therapy at the appropriate time, few report discontinuing therapy when feeling unwell, and a substantial majority report not forgetting doses. Dr. McKay states these findings support strong adherence in real-world practice.
Safety findings are also reviewed. Serious adverse event rates are described as low, with few events leading to treatment discontinuation. Cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest, are reported as uncommon within the first 6 months of follow-up. Findings are described as generally consistent with expectations from prior clinical trial experience.
The discussion also addresses outcomes in a subset receiving combination therapy, where adherence, quality-of-life, and safety are similar to those with monotherapy. Dr. McKay emphasizes that the prospective registry supports the use of relugolix as an effective ADT option in routine clinical practice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rana R. McKay, MD, FASCO, is a Professor of Medicine and Urology at the University of California, San Diego, and co-leader of the Genitourinary Oncology Disease Team at the Moores Cancer Center. Dr. McKay specializes in treating people with urogenital cancers, including bladder, kidney, prostate, and testicular cancer. Her research interests include the design and implementation of clinical trials to advance the treatment of patients with urologic cancers.
Researcher-physician E. David Crawford, MD, Jack A. Vickers Director of Prostate Research and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, has devoted his career in medicine to educating the public about men's health issues and finding effective techniques and procedures to address prostate cancer, the most common malignancy affecting men in the United States.
