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A new medication proved effective in slowing the spread ofmetastatic prostate cancer , while helping to maintain the quality of life, in patients withadvanced disease. The phase 3 study was unblinded midway, allowingpatients receiving the placebo to instead take the drug because ofthe favorable results. The study is the first randomized clinical trial to documentexpanded benefits among a particular group of prostate cancerpatients in whom the disease had spread. The medication,abiraterone acetate - marketed as Zytiga also delayed the development of pain and deterioration of thepatients' overall condition. The researchers say the medication could provide new treatmentoptions. "This drug extended lives and gave patients more time when theyweren't experiencing significant pain from the disease,' said theprincipal investigator of the international trial, Charles J. Ryan,MD, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the UCSF HelenDiller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. "This is an interim analysis, the final analysis should beavailable in 2014," he said. "But it appears that this medicationmay lay a foundation for the use of this drug at an earlier stageof prostate cancer, and its benefits may be able to be delivered toa much wider population of patients as a result.' Ryan will present the data on June 2 at the 48th annual meeting ofthe American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in men, with some 30,000 people annually dying from the disease.Approximately one-third of patients require no treatment, becausetheir disease does not metastasize, or spread, while another thirdare treated and cured. But for the remaining patients, the cancerwill recur following treatment or spread to the bones, lymph nodesor other parts of the body. Prostate cancer can turn lethal when itspreads and when it resists standard hormonal therapy. "These results are the culmination of years of research, and willtruly transform the way we take care of patients with advancedprostate cancer,' said Eric J. Small, MD, a UCSF professor andchief of hematology and oncology at the UCSF Helen Diller FamilyComprehensive Cancer Center. He and Ryan have collaborated on theresearch of this class of medication for about 9 years. "This is a wonderful milestone in our progress in treating prostatecancer, and provides advanced prostate cancer patients everywherewith an important new weapon to fight their cancer,' he said. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvedabiraterone acetate for men whose disease had spread and who alsowere resistant to standard hormonal therapy, known ascastration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and had receivedchemotherapy with docetaxel. The approval was based on a clinicaltrial that showed the effectiveness of the medication inpost-chemotherapy patients with more advanced disease. In the new trial, the patients' cancer had metastasized and hadbecome resistant to initial hormone therapy, but they were notshowing considerable symptoms from the disease and had not yetreceived any chemotherapy. The study involved 1,088 men at 151 cancer facilities in NorthAmerica, Europe and Australia. On average, the patients had beendiagnosed with prostate cancer five years earlier. The patients were administered Zytiga in combination with low-doseprednisone. The trial was unblinded in March after it wasdetermined that the drug delayed the need for chemotherapy and forpain medications, improved survival and quality of life. Zytigaalso slowed the spread of cancer from an average of 8 months in theplacebo group compared to approximately double the time in thetreatment group. The medication demonstrated such clear advantagesto patients that an independent monitoring committee recommendedthat patients receiving the placebo be allowed to receive theactive drug. "This trial with a well-tolerated oral agent slowed the progressionof the disease while helping to delay suffering and maintainingquality of life in patients with advanced prostate cancer,' saidRyan who has been researching the drug since 2004 and helped designthe phase 3 study. "These are the goals that we are moving towardin cancer treatment. The treatment of advanced prostate cancer isundergoing a rapid transformation, and this drug is a key componentof that transformation.' The medication, by Janssen Research & Development, LLC targetsprostate cancer by blocking the production of hormones produced bythe cancer that can stimulate its growth. The medication was firstcreated in a British lab in the 1990s. The manufacturer warns thatit should be used with caution in patients who have a history ofcardiovascular disease, high blood pressure , low blood potassium, and fluid retention . I am an expert from solidtimberdoor.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Eco Friendly Bamboo Flooring Manufacturer , Timber Composite Doors, Exterior Timber Doors,and more.
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