New Tests and Therapies Could Soon Save Lives

Abiraterone, Provenge, and new tests offer great promise.

Dr. Jonathan Simons spoke in a recent interview about two exciting therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer, and a test that could lead to earlier detection. The Prostate Cancer Foundation helped fund the research for these advancements, and these treatments will soon be saving lives.

Abiraterone fights aggressive prostate cancers

In highly successful clinical trials, a new drug called abiraterone, which we told you about last year, shrank the most dangerous tumors in up to 70% of cases. It may be the biggest advance in the field in up to 60 years, and could potentially save thousands of lives.

Current hormone therapies had proven effective only against less aggressive forms of prostate cancer, but abiraterone, taken by mouth, has been proven to control the most aggressive prostate cancers that are often fatal for patients.

 If the next round of clinical trials goes well, the drug could be approved as early as 2011.

Provenge shows promise of immunotherapy

PCF-funded researcher Dr. Philip Kantoff, the principal investigator of the Phase III clinical study of Provenge — a new drug therapy — says the results they’ve seen validate 16 years of modern research. Provenge helps patients by harnessing the patient’s own immune system to fight their prostate cancer and prolong their lives.

According to Dr. Simons, “We need a better understanding of how the human immune system can be stimulated to help cancer patients survive longer. ...[T]his data in advanced prostate cancer patients might help patients with many other forms of life-threatening, metastatic cancers.”

Three tests could lead to earlier detection

One of these tests evaluates urine and the other two evaluate blood. Rather than detecting prostate disease like the current PSA test, they would detect the potentially lethal cancers. These three new potential tests could augment and replace the PSA test and lead to earlier detection. And that alone could help save lives.