New prostate cancer pill could save thousands of lives
July 22nd, 2008 Posted in prostate cancerA NEW pill could potentially save the lives of thousands of prostate cancer sufferers, eliminating the need for damaging therapies.
Trials of the new drug have shown that it can shrink tumours in up to 80 per cent of cases, and can end the need for damaging chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Britain’s Daily Mail reports.
Experts hailed the advance as potentially the biggest in the field of prostate cancer for decades, capable of saving many thousands of lives.
Scientists believe the technique could also be effective on other tumours, such as breast and bowel cancers.
The drug, abiraterone, was discovered by researchers at the Royal Marsden Hospital in southwest London.
Their leader, Dr Johann de Bono, said patients there had been able to control the disease with just four pills a day and very few side-effects.
Abiraterone fight prostate cancer by blocking chemicals in the body which help in the production of the male hormones.
It is expected to be widely available in three years, but until then can be obtained only as part of clinical trials.