ASCO 2026: J&J shows Erleada can break prostate cancer treatment mold in high‑risk localized disease

Johnson & Johnson's prostate cancer drug Erleada (apalutamide) has shown a 20% reduction in the relative risk of disease progression and death in a phase 3 trial (PROTEUS) that was a highlight of the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting.

In the PROTEUS trial, combining Erleada with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) before and after prostate surgery for high‑risk localized cancer increased the chance of having no cancer remaining at surgery by about nine‑fold and lengthened the time until additional therapy was needed.

The results are being described as breaking a decades‑old treatment mold because they support adding systemic drug therapy (Erleada plus ADT) around the time of surgery, rather than using surgery alone in high‑risk prostate cancer.

Erleada is already approved for two advanced stages of prostate cancer; the PROTEUS data now position it to potentially shift the standard of care to a perioperative regimen for high‑risk localized disease, despite higher rates of serious adverse events and treatment‑related discontinuations.