Hope for thousands of men battling prostate cancer after ‘tremendously exciting’ discovery of drug that can shrink tumours and extend lives

A new drug for prostate cancer could extend the lives of thousands of men.

About 12,000 men a year with aggressive prostate cancer reach a point where standard medications no longer work for them.

Now scientists have found a treatment for these men that could shrink the tumors by more than 30 percent, an early-stage study suggests.

Many men with prostate cancer take pills such as enzalutamide, which prevent testosterone from helping tumors grow in their bodies.

But aggressive prostate cancer finds a ‘plan B’ and replaces testosterone with a different kind of fuel, causing the drugs to stop working.

Scientists have found a drug that can shrink some tumors by 30 percent, but it only works in a quarter of men

Scientists have found a drug that can shrink some tumors by 30 percent, but it only works in a quarter of men

Scientists now believe this Plan B fuel consists of white blood cells, which are hijacked by tumors to help them grow.

An experimental drug used to prevent tumors from hijacking white blood cells was given to 21 men with aggressive, advanced prostate cancer.

Among the volunteers, one man saw tumors in his prostate shrink by more than 30 percent.

The treatment showed signs of success in five of the men, all of whom had incurable prostate cancer but survived for more than six months without their cancer worsening after receiving the treatment.

Researchers plan to recruit more men to find out exactly how much extra time with their families the treatment could buy patients with aggressive prostate cancer.

After discovering that the experimental drug only helped a quarter of men, perhaps because some people’s white blood cells are genetically different and harder to target, the scientists are also working on a better version of the drug.

They hope it could help people with other types of cancer, such as breast cancer, which can also use white blood cells as backup fuel instead of estrogen, making standard medications ineffective.

Professor Johann De Bono, senior author of the study from London’s Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘This research proves for the first time that targeting myeloid cells rather than the cancer cells themselves can can be reduced and benefit patients. .

‘This is hugely exciting and suggests we have a completely new way to treat prostate cancer.’

Scientists hope the drug could help people with other types of cancer, such as breast cancer, where white blood cells can also be used as backup fuel instead of estrogen.

Scientists hope the drug could help people with other types of cancer, such as breast cancer, where white blood cells can also be used as backup fuel instead of estrogen.

The new study, published in the journal Nature, comes more than a decade after scientists discovered that men with aggressive prostate cancer had higher levels of certain immune cells in their blood.

These cells, called myeloid white blood cells and made in the bone marrow, are normally used to fight infections or heal wounds.

But prostate cancer can apparently cause them to completely change their behavior, so they instead invade tumors to help them grow and spread.

After discovering this alternative fuel for prostate cancer and blocking it in mice, scientists tested their experimental drug, called AZD5069, in humans.

The drug prevents white blood cells from being drawn into prostate tumors by blocking the ‘doorway’ on their surface, which is targeted by chemical signals from the tumors.

Of the five men who responded to the treatment, one saw his tumor shrink, while in the rest the cancer appeared to have stopped.

After receiving AZD5069, in combination with enzalutamide, to prevent testosterone from fueling their cancer, men had lower numbers of cancer cells in their blood and lower levels of a protein called PSA, which is elevated in men with prostate cancer.

Dr. Matthew Hobbs, research director at Prostate Cancer UK, which co-funded the study with Cancer Research UK, said: ‘I am hugely excited by these results and proud that we are funding such revolutionary research.

‘Now we want pharmaceutical companies to work with researchers to develop new drugs based on what we’ve learned and test them in larger studies, making research a reality for men.’

The Daily Mail has relaunched its End the Needless Prostate Deaths campaign this year in a bid to improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, which kills more than 11,500 men in Britain every year.

WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?

How many people does it kill?

More than 11,800 men in Britain – or one every 45 minutes – die from the disease every year, compared to around 11,400 women who die from breast cancer.

It means prostate cancer is behind only the lungs and bowels in the number of people it kills in Britain.

In the US, the disease kills 26,000 men every year.

Despite this, it receives less than half of breast cancer research funding and treatments for the disease are at least a decade behind schedule.

How many men are diagnosed annually?

More than 52,300 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK every year – more than 140 every day.

How quickly does it develop?

Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs that someone has it for years NHS.

If the cancer is in its early stages and is not causing symptoms, a policy of ‘watchful waiting’ or ‘active surveillance’ may be implemented.

Some patients can be cured if the disease is treated at an early stage.

But if the diagnosis is made at a later stage, when the disease has spread, the disease becomes terminal and treatment revolves around relieving the symptoms.

Thousands of men are deterred from seeking a diagnosis because of the treatment’s known side effects, including erectile dysfunction.

Testing and treatment

Tests for prostate cancer are haphazard, and accurate tools are only just beginning to appear.

There is no national prostate screening program because the tests have been too inaccurate for years.

Doctors have difficulty distinguishing between aggressive and less serious tumors, making it difficult to decide on treatment.

Men over 50 are eligible for a ‘PSA’ blood test, which gives doctors a rough idea of ​​a patient’s risk.

But it is unreliable. Patients who receive a positive result usually receive a biopsy, which is also not foolproof.

Scientists aren’t sure what causes prostate cancer, but age, obesity and lack of exercise are known risks.

Anyone with concerns can speak to the specialist nurses at Prostate Cancer UK on 0800 074 8383 or visit prostatecancer.org