Prostate pill could save thousands


AN experimental prostate cancer drug could adds years of life to men with advanced disease has been hailed by Australian experts.

The "once a day" pill, called abiraterone, has been found to shrink tumours and relieve pain in eight out of 10 men with aggressive and incurable prostate cancer.

Some men involved in the preliminary studies have survived for more than twice as long as expected when all other treatments failed, a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports.

Australian oncologists say the drug, still about three years from public release, is one of the most exciting developments in the prostate field in recent years.

Professor Jim Denham, a urologist at Newcastle Mater Hospital, said abiraterone had the capacity to change the future landscape of the cancer, from a deadly disease to a manageable chronic condition.

"This is fantastically significant for the 2800 Australian men who die of the disease every year," Prof Denham said.

"If I had a supply now, I'd be giving it out straight away."

Most men who develop prostate cancer are able to manage their disease with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but in a smaller number of cases the tumours become resistant to hormone drugs. Most of these men will survive less than 18 months.

Abiraterone is a new drug that blocks the production of male hormones and can produce a response, even in hormone-resistant tumours.

Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London tested the drug on 250 men worldwide with advanced cancer, with some living as long as 32 months.

Study leader Johann de Bono said the early indications were that the drug would boost survival by many years and eventually make chemotherapy obsolete.

Prof Denham shared his positive outlook, saying "the sensational claims being thrown about are very justified".

"Ordinary hormones are very good at extending life in men whose primary treatment has failed, so you can imagine if you've got something that is a quantum leap better," Prof Denham said.

"I think it's going to wipe out a hell of a lot of these deaths."

Professor Judith Clements, head of the hormone dependent cancer program at Queensland University of Technology, said while the drug was promising it was still too early to know how well it was tolerated.

"Blocking male hormones has been seen to have severe side-effects like muscle loss, decreased libido, bone related problems as well as high blood pressure, so we need to be cautious," Prof Clements said.

"Nevertheless, it's still quite exciting to have a whole new approach."