Scientists hail new prostate cancer drug

SCIENTISTS yesterday hailed a new chemotherapy drug as the first ever treatment to prolong life for men with advanced prostate cancer.

There are about 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year in Ireland.

Researchers found those who trialled cabazitaxel in the latter, more aggressive stages of the disease, lived on average 30% longer than those taking another medication.

The drug, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), could offer an extra lease of life for thousands of men every year.

Cabazitaxel was tested on those with advanced prostate cancer who had developed a resistance to hormone treatment and the chemotherapy drug docetaxel.

Patients were randomly assigned to receive an injection for up to a maximum of 10 cycles of cabazitaxel or mitoxantrone – a chemotherapy drug which is given to patients who develop resistance to docetaxel.

The large-scale trial – led by Johann de Bono from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust –– was conducted in 146 trial sites in 26 countries around the world.

It found patients in the cabazitaxel treatment group lived on average 15.1 months compared with 12.7 months for those who used mitoxantrone.

Cabazitaxel blocked cancer growth for twice as long as mitoxantrone (1.4 months compared with 2.8 months), and those who took it found their levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) – the standard measure of tumour activity – stayed lower for longer.

During the study, which ran from January 2007 until September 2009, men taking cabazitaxel were 30% less likely to die during the course of their treatment than men in the mitoxantrone group.

“It is a significant milestone in prostate cancer treatment,” Dr de Bono said. “It is only a small step. There’s still a lot of work to do to improve the outcome of this disease...”

Scientists are confident the drug will be brought into use in Europe but cost is unknown, Dr de Bono said.

“We are proud to have been involved in the development of this drug, which will offer new hope to men with advanced prostate cancer who have exhausted other treatment options.”

Scientists now want to test it on patients at an earlier stage of the disease, including those who have not yet received any chemotherapy.

The findings are published today in The Lancet.