Relugolix in Patients With High-risk, Localized or Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer Who Are Candidates for Radical Prostatectomy. (HEROIC)

November 3, 2026 updated by: Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS

A Randomized, Controlled, Phase 3 Study of Relugolix in Patients With High-risk, Localized or Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer Who Are Candidates for Radical Prostatectomy.

This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of Relugolix for 3 months before radical prostatectomy + lymph node dissection followed by 6 months Relugolix versus radical prostatectomy + lymphnode dissection followed by 6 months Relugolix. Relugolix is an oral highly selective LHRH antagonist given daily that has been shown to achieve androgen deprivation in both phase I and phase II trials and was finally approved in the phase III HERO trial.

Relugolix is approved in the United States (US) and Europe for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

The HERO trial enrolled patients with castration sensitive prostate cancer and compared their sustained castration rate at 48weeks to leuprolide. While the safety profile of the 2 agents was similar, relugolix achieved castrate levels of testosterone faster and provided a higher overall rate of castration. In the phase III HERO trial, relugolix demonstrated suppression of testosterone concentrations to castration levels in 96.7% of patients from Day 29 through 48 weeks, which was superior to leuprolide and resulted in a 54% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Relugolix also demonstrated superior efficacy to leuprolide for key secondary endpoints, including the cumulative probability of testosterone suppression to castrate levels (< 50 ng/dL) on day 4 and on day 15, PSA response (> 50% decrease) at day 15 with confirmation at day 29, the cumulative probability of testosterone suppression to profound castrate levels (< 20 ng/dL) on day 15, and mean FSH level at the end of week 24. Testosterone recovery was investigated in a subgroup of patients (n = 184): 54% of relugolix recipients versus 3% of leuprolide recipients had testosterone recovery to ≥ 280 ng/dL 90 days after completing 48 weeks of treatment.Relugolix was generally well tolerated in men with prostate cancer, with most adverse events being consistent with physiologic effects of testosterone suppression. Most adverse events were of grade 1 or 2 severity. In a phase II study comparing relugolix to degarelix the global health status, as assessed by EORTC-QLQ-C30, and sexual activity and hormonal treatment-related symptoms, as assessed by the EORTC-QLQ-PR25, were negatively affected during treatment in both groups. Within 12 wk after treatment discontinuation, sexual activity scores improved by a mean of 12.1 for relugolix and 6.6 for degarelix and hormonal treatment-related symptoms changed by a mean of -5.0 and -1, respectively. Similarly, AMS total and subscale scores (sexual, psychological, and somatic) worsened during treatment in both groups but after treatment discontinuation, the mean percentage change in AMS total scores was -15% in the relugolix group and -2.9% in the degarelix group.

The fast testosterone recovery with relugolix was associated with a rapid improvement in a range of castration-related symptoms on QoL measures.

Building upon the practice-changing evidence established by the PROTEUS trial, evaluating oral Relugolix as a perioperative backbone in high-risk patients candidate for radical prostatectomy offers distinct pharmacological, safety, and patient-centered advantages. While PROTEUS validated the clinical benefit of perioperative androgen receptor pathway modulation, Relugolix provides rapid and profound testosterone suppression without an initial surge, paired with a significantly lower cardiovascular risk profile and markedly accelerated post-treatment testosterone and Quality of Life (QoL) recovery compared to standard LHRH agonists. In the HEROIC trial, testing a 3-month neoadjuvant Relugolix induction phase prior to surgery followed by 6 months of adjuvant Relugolix (Arm A) versus immediate surgery followed by 6 months of adjuvant Relugolix (Arm B) addresses whether an all-oral GnRH antagonist strategy can reproduce perioperative oncological downstaging and improve Biochemical Recurrence-Free Survival (bRFS) while optimizing cardiovascular safety and patient recovery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

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Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
268

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 99 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male who are at least 18 Years on the day of signing informed consent;
  • Candidate for radical prostatectomy (RP);
  • Adequate organ function (hepatic, renal, hematologic and cerebral) determined at the discretion of the treating physician;
  • Eastern Cooperative oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status Score of 0 or 1
  • High risk PCa [biopsy Gleason score 8-10 {ISUP GG 4-5}, PSA >20 ng/ml, cT2c [MRI based], and/or cN1 disease) or non onrgan confined disease defined as cT3-4 and/or cN + [MRI based] any ISUP grade any PSA and were amenable to RP + extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND). A minimun score of Gleason 7(4+3) will be allowed.
  • Staging with PSMA PET/CT (systemic and local) and mpMRI of the prostate and pelvis (as mandatory prebiopsy staging procedure).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History or presence of soft tissue/bone metastasis or metastasis in distant lymph nodes (pelvic lymph nodes below the iliac bifurcation that are less than (<) 2 centimetres (cm) in diameter [short axis] either radiographically or pathologically are allowed.)
  • History of bilateral orchiectomy
  • Prior or current radiation therapy for treatment of prostate cancer
  • Received an investigational intervention ≤ 4 weeks before the planned first dose of study intervention
  • History of seizure or condition that may predispose to seizure (including, but not limited to prior stroke, transient ischemic attack or loss of consciousness ≤1 year prior to randomization; brain arteriovenous malformation; or intracranial masses such as schwannomas and meningiomas that are causing edema or mass effect)
  • Active or symptomatic viral hepatitis or chronic liver disease or HIV
  • History of pituitary or adrenal dysfunction
  • Clinically significant heart disease as evidenced by myocardial infarction, or arterial thrombotic events in the past 6 months, severe or unstable angina, or New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-IV heart disease or cardiac ejection fraction measurement of <50% at baseline
  • Other malignancy
  • Any condition, which, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude participation in this trial
  • Gastrointestinal conditions affecting Absorption
  • Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients of the study medication
  • Any psychological, cognitive, familial, sociological or geographical condition that, in the investigator's opinion, compromises the patient's ability to understand the patient information, to give informed consent or to comply with the study protocol
  • Participation in another interventional clinical trial during this trial or within 4 weeks before entry into this trial. There may be exceptions at the discretion of the (coordinating) investigator
  • Any clinical contraindication to experimental drug adoption as per physician discretion

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Arm A (Experimental)

Relugolix orally (loading dose of 360 mg on Day 1, followed by 120 mg once daily) as neoadjuvant therapy for 3 months prior to radical prostatectomy (RP) with extended pelvic lymphadenectomy (ePLND). Subsequently, post-operative adjuvant treatment with Relugolix for 6 months (loading dose 360 mg, followed by 120 mg/day).
Drug: Relugolix-Neoadjuvant treatment

The perioperative treatment will be based on 3 months of Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) with relugolix 120 mg followed by radical prostatectomy (RP) and lymph node dissection.

The Relugolix administration will be based on a loading dose of 360 mg, corresponding on 3 tablets, on the first day followed by a 120 mg (one tablet) dose taken once daily at approximately the same time each day.

Relugolix can be taken with or without food. Tablets should be taken with some liquid as needed and should be swallowed whole.
Active Comparator: Arm B (Control)

Immediate undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) with extended pelvic lymphadenectomy (ePLND), followed by 6 months of post-operative adjuvant treatment with oral Relugolix (loading dose of 360 mg on Day 1, followed by 120 mg once daily).
Drug: Relugolix-Adjuvant treatment

Patients allocated on control arm will receive only postoperative treatment. Postoperative treatment will be based on 6 months of relugolix 120 mg after RP.

The Relugolix administration will be based on a loading dose of 360 mg, corresponding on 3 tablets, on the first day, followed by a 120 mg (one tablet) dose taken once daily at approximately the same time each day.

Relugolix can be taken with or without food. Tablets should be taken with some liquid as needed and should be swallowed whole.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Biochemical Recurrence-Free Survival (bRFS)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Biochemical Recurrence-Free Survival (bRFS) defined as the time from randomization to the first documented evidence of biochemical recurrence, measured as:

  • A confirmed serum PSA value ≥ 0.2 ng/mL after radical prostatectomy (two consecutive determinations at least 3 weeks apart), or
  • The clinical decision to initiate salvage therapy (radiotherapy or systemic therapy) for a documented biochemical recurrence (any non-protocol defined treatment)
  • Any new evidence of metastatic disease on bone or PSMA PET/mpMRI [imaging modalities as per physician or multidisciplinary team decision's discretion]
  • Any local recurrence in the prostate bed, as determined by PSMA PET/ mpMRI; [imaging modalities as per physician or multidisciplinary team decision's discretion].

Patients without an event will be censored at the date of their last PSA assessment.
Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Metastasis-Free Survival (MFS)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

MFS will be defined as the time from randomization to the first radiological evidence of distant metastasis (confirmed by blinded independent central review, BICR) or death from any cause.
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Pathological Complete Response (pCR)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

pCR will be defined as no residual tumor ypT0 detected in the prostatectomy specimen, as assessed by a pathology BICR);
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Minimal Residual Disease (MRD)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

MRD will be defined as presence of residual tumor ≤ 5 mm in maximal cross-sectional dimension provided it is confined to the prostate, i.e. ypT2 or lower. The primary pathology assessment will be performed by a blinded independent central review (BICR).
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Overall Survival (OS)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Overall Survival (OS) will be defined as time from randomization to death from any cause
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Time to Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Time to Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) will be evaluated as time from randomization to evidence of disease progression at CRPC
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Time to First Salvage Therapy (Radiotherapy or systemic)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Time to First Salvage Therapy will be evaluated as time from randomization to the start date of the first systemic therapy or radiotherapy (RT)
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Testosterone suppression and recovery
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Testosterone suppression and recovery will be defined as:

o Proportion of patients achieving testosterone ≤ 50 ng/dL and ≤ 20 ng/dL during treatment.
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Testosterone suppression and recovery
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Testosterone suppression and recovery will be defined as:

o Time to testosterone recovery (≥ 280 ng/dL) after treatment discontinuation.
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
PSA kinetics
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

PSA kinetics will be evaluated as proportion of patients achieving ≥ 90% PSA reduction from baseline, and PSA < 0.2 ng/mL at Week 25.
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Quality of Life (QoL)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Quality of Life (QoL) will be assessed by EORTC-QLQ-C30 domain scores at ICF signing, at the end of perioperative period (for Arm A), at 15 days from RP; 4 weeks post-RP; 12 weeks post-RP; End Of Treatment; 12 weeks post-EOT; 6 months post-EOT; 12 months post-EOT
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Quality of Life (QoL)
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Quality of Life (QoL) will be assessed by EORTC-QLQ-PR25 domain scores at ICF signing, at the end of perioperative period (for Arm A), at 15 days from RP; 4 weeks post-RP; 12 weeks post-RP; End Of Treatment; 12 weeks post-EOT; 6 months post-EOT; 12 months post-EOT
Through study completion, an average of 3 years
Safety and tolerability of Relugolix
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Safety and tolerability during the treatment will be recorded and graded according to the NCI-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v.5. Grade refers to the severity of the adverse event. A grading (severity) scale is provided for each adverse event term. The CTCAE displays Grades 1 through 5 with unique clinical descriptions of severity for each AE. Safety and tolerability will be evaluated also as laboratory, ECG abnormalities and cardiovascular events (MACE).
Through study completion, an average of 3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Accord Healthcare Italia S.r.l.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 31, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 31, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 29, 2031

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IOV- PR-01-2024 HEROIC
  • 2025 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 2025-524702-15-00 (Ctis)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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