Long-term abiraterone withdrawal syndrome

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Abiraterone acetate (AA) is an androgen receptor axis inhibitor, indicated together with prednisone, for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Withdrawal syndrome for classical antiandrogen treatments is well known, but not so known for AA. Abiraterone withdrawal syndrome (AWS) could be related to simultaneous prednisone discontinuation or to an androgenic effect of AA metabolites. CASE DESCRIPTION: A case is described of a patient with long-term AWS without prednisone discontinuation. The clinical and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response allowed an 8-month delay in docetaxel treatment. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Prednisone did not play a role in AWS in this case. The long-term response allowed a delay in future treatment.