More targeted treatment of prostate cancer increases life expectancy
A pioneering new Form of treatment could give thousands of men with unheilbarem prostate cancer now have new hope. By a so-called Search and Destroy method of treatment, the life expectancy of affected patients is significantly increased.
In a recent study, it was found that by a special method of treatment, the service life of male patients can be increased with unheilbarem prostate cancer significantly. The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Treatment targets specific Protein
The new treatment first identified a Protein, which is expressed on the surface of prostate cancer cells, this tyre suit. Every fifth man lived after such a targeted radiation therapy for nearly three years. Experts referred to this as a huge breakthrough. The method is based on imaging techniques, with which tumors can be studied to plan further treatment. The treatment uses a radioactive isotope, which binds to a Protein on the surface of malignant cells, and to attack, without damaging the surrounding tissue. The researchers are confident that this Form of treatment can lead to a permanent Remission. If the results of further tests turn out positive, will this change the treatment of prostate cancer is essential, explains Professor Arun Azad from the Peter Mac Cancer Centre in Melbourne, which is involved in follow-up studies, in a press release.
How did the treatment exactly?
In the UK alone, approximately half of the 10,000 men every year, cancer of the prostate in the advanced stage is diagnosed could benefit from the treatment. Ultimately, patients could be offered at an earlier stage of the disease, the treatment. Thus, thousands more men would benefit from the treatment. Recently Australian researchers conducted a study with 50 men, had revealed that the Survival time extended by the treatment from nine to more than 13 months. Every fifth of them lived even almost three years later. Normal is a life with such a disease expectancy of only nine months.
More targeted radiation reduces side effects
The ground-breaking new technology is offered in the UK only since recently private, in Australia and Germany, it is already being used more often. Therapy includes up to six treatments every six to eight weeks. The idea behind the treatment is that by means of targeted irradiation of cancer cells anywhere in the body are destroyed, the healthy tissue, but damaged only minimally. Patients who felt that the normal radiation therapy as extremely stressful, said they had suffered since the targeted radiation therapy absolutely no side effects and more. For the treatment they had to stop just less than four hours in the clinic. Since the goal of treatment is addressed, and prevented the cancer cells directly.
Drug Enzalutamid effective against prostate cancer
Another study by researchers from Australia and new Zealand has shown that earlier treatment of men could cut with unheilbarem prostate cancer with the drug Enzalutamid the probability of an early death by a third. Currently, the drug is recommended by the NHS only if a hormone treatment has already failed. The results of this study were published in the English journal “The New England Journal of Medicine”. (as)