If you have advanced prostate cancer, your health care provider may have told you about a medicine called Truqap (capivasertib).
In June 2026, the FDA approved Truqap for certain adults with prostate cancer that has spread and is PTEN-deficient.
Many prostate cancers need testosterone to grow. However, some prostate cancers also have changes in a gene called PTEN, which helps make the PTEN protein that controls cell growth. When PTEN is missing or not working properly, cancer cells can keep growing through another pathway, even when other medicines block testosterone. Truqap helps block this other pathway, which may help slow cancer growth.
Truqap is typically used with other medicines, including medicines that lower testosterone, block the effects of testosterone on prostate cancer cells, and help the treatment work as intended.
Truqap may also be used to treat other conditions. Below are common questions and answers about Truqap for prostate cancer.
Is Truqap Right for My Prostate Cancer?
Truqap is used for a specific type of prostate cancer. According to the FDA-approved labeling for Truqap, your prostate cancer must be all of the following:
Metastatic prostate cancer. It means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. This means that the cancer still responds to treatments that lower testosterone or block its effects. A related medical term to describe this is “androgen pathway modulation-naive or -sensitive.” This includes people who have not yet started hormone therapy for metastatic prostate cancer or whose cancer is still responding to these treatments.
PTEN-deficient. PTEN is a protein that helps control cell growth. Some prostate cancers have little or no working PTEN, which can help the cancer grow. Your health care provider will test a sample of your tumor to see if it is PTEN-deficient.
Truqap is not taken by itself to treat prostate cancer. It is usually prescribed as part of a standard treatment plan that includes the following:
- Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT): It lowers testosterone levels. Most people receive ADT as injections or implants, unless they have had surgery to remove both testicles, the main source of testosterone.
- Abiraterone: A hormone therapy medicine that lowers the amount of testosterone your body makes.
- A corticosteroid, usually prednisolone or prednisone: This is used to help prevent certain side effects from abiraterone.
Before prescribing Truqap, your health care provider will first confirm that your tumor is PTEN-deficient using an FDA-approved test. They will check your results and medical history to help decide whether Truqap is right for you.
How Was Truqap Studied for PTEN-Deficient Prostate Cancer?
The FDA approved Truqap for this type of prostate cancer based mainly on a large clinical study called CAPItello-281.
The study included 1,012 adults with recently diagnosed PTEN-deficient metastatic prostate cancer that still responded to hormone therapy. Here are their characteristics:
- The participants' median (midpoint) age was 68 years, with ages ranging from 42 to 88 years. About 52% were White, 37% were Asian, and the rest identified as other races; 13% were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.
- Most were able to carry out normal daily activities, although some had limits with strenuous activity.
- Nearly all participants (98%) had already started ADT before joining the study.
Everyone in the study received the same standard treatment (including abiraterone, ADT, and prednisolone or prednisone). In addition to standard treatment, participants were randomly assigned to receive either Truqap or a placebo (a tablet with no active medicine). Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was taking Truqap until the study ended.
The main goal of the study was to see whether adding Truqap to standard treatment could help people live longer without their cancer getting worse based on imaging scans, such as bone scans or CT scans. This is called radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS).
What Are the Benefits of Truqap for Prostate Cancer Based on This Study?
The CAPItello-281 study showed that adding Truqap helped delay the advance of PTEN-deficient prostate cancer compared with standard treatment alone.
Improved rPFS
Participants who took Truqap went a median of 33.2 months before their cancer worsened on imaging scans, compared with 25.7 months for those who took the placebo. In other words, Truqap delayed cancer growth by about 7.5 months on average.
The study also found that people taking Truqap had about a 19% lower risk of their cancer getting worse or dying during the study than those taking the placebo.
At the time the study results were reported, not enough time had passed to know whether Truqap helps people live longer overall.
Your results may be different from those seen in the trial.
How Do I Take Truqap for Prostate Cancer?
Always take Truqap exactly as your health care provider prescribes.
Truqap is usually taken by mouth twice a day for four days in a row, followed by three days without Truqap. This seven-day schedule repeats each week.
You can take Truqap with or without food. Swallow the tablets whole.
Most people take Truqap for as long as it continues to help control their cancer and the side effects remain manageable.
Be sure to keep your scheduled appointments, including any scans and blood tests. This will help your health care team to monitor how you are responding to treatment. If your cancer gets worse or you have side effects that cannot be managed, your treatment plan may change.
How Can I Manage Common Side Effects of Truqap?
Like all cancer medicines, Truqap can cause side effects. If side effects become severe or hard to manage, your health care provider may lower your dose, pause treatment, or stop Truqap if needed. While not a complete list, Truqap may cause the following:
Diarrhea. It’s common with Truqap and can sometimes be severe. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. It can help to eat bland foods, such as rice, bananas, or toast. Ask your health care provider if an over-the-counter (OTC) antidiarrheal medicine may help. Contact your health care provider if you have any signs of diarrhea. Your health care provider may lower your dose, pause, or stop treatment if your diarrhea is severe, does not improve, or you are having a hard time drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated.
Skin rash. Truqap can cause skin reactions ranging from mild rashes to more serious reactions. Contact your health care provider right away if you have a new or worsening rash. Early treatment may help keep it from becoming more severe.
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Truqap can raise your blood sugar, even if you do not have diabetes. Keep all appointments with your health care provider to check your blood sugar before and during treatment. Contact your health care provider right away if you have increased thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger, blurred vision, or fruity-smelling breath.
Other common side effects of Truqap include tiredness, nausea, mouth sores, vomiting, and changes in blood tests that your health care team will monitor.
Before starting Truqap, tell your pharmacist and other health care providers about everything you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal products, and supplements. Some medicines and supplements can affect how Truqap works or raise the risk of side effects. Your health care provider can check for drug interactions and let you know if you need any changes to your treatment plan.
It is also important to avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice during treatment. Grapefruit products can boost Truqap levels in your body, raising the risk of side effects.
There may be other Truqap side effects or interactions that are not listed here. Contact your health care provider if you think you are having a side effect and before starting any new medicines or supplements.
Is Financial Assistance Available for Truqap?
AstraZeneca, the drugmaker of Truqap, offers resources that may help with insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs.
Eligible people with commercial insurance may qualify for copay assistance and may pay as little as $0 per month. Other patient assistance programs may also be available. Eligibility rules and other terms apply, and your pharmacist or other health care provider may be able to help you explore your options. For details, call 844-275-2360 or visit www.myaccess360.com/patient.
