Prostrate cancer breakthrough ‘could help patients live longer’

According to the results of a clinical trial, a new drug, abiraterone, when used for the treatment for prostate cancer, greatly improves survival.

Abiraterone is a hormone therapy which stops more testosterone from reaching the prostate gland in a bid to restrict the growth of the tumour.

The large-scale trial involved almost 2,000 patients.

The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, says Abiraterone (also known as Zytiga), lowered the risk of death by nearly 40 percent when added to standard androgen deprivation therapy.

Nicholas James, a professor at the University of Birmingham, who led the research, said: “These are the most powerful results I’ve seen from a prostate cancer trial – it’s a once-in-a-career feeling.

“This is one of the biggest reductions in death I’ve seen in any clinical trial for adult cancers.”

Sumanta Kumar Pal, an expert with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, explained the benefits of the drug.

“Abiraterone now offers a reasonable alternative to chemotherapy for these men,” he said.

“At first glance it appears as though the benefit and survival seen with abiraterone mirrors or exceeds the benefit we’ve seen with chemotherapy with less toxic side effects.”

The results were on Monday presented at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting in Chicago, US.