Hope.
Anyone who struggles with cancer knows what a pleasing word hope can be, especially for those living with advanced stages of the disease.
Now, men living with prostate cancer—and the people who love them—have a new hope in this all-too-common medical battle. A trial to test an advanced prostate cancer drug recently proved so effective that researchers stopped the study. They had enough information, and they wanted to extend the treatment to all participating patients.
The Story of Renewed Hope for Prostate Cancer Sufferers
The medical trial, like most medical trials, involved two groups.
One group received the drug Zytiga, also called abiraterone, along with a standard steroid therapy. The second group received steroid therapy with a placebo.
Researchers discovered that the combined Zytiga therapy significantly slowed down the cancer’s progress, doubling the time it took for it to spread. The drug also delayed the need for patients to start chemotherapy.
Miraculously, patients also reported less pain and higher quality of life while taking the medication.
So far, the drug has been approved by the FDA for men with chemotherapy-resistant prostate cancer. However, it’s hoped that this study will extend the drug’s use to cancer patients who have not yet undergone chemotherapy.
How Zytiga Fights Back
Zytiga works differently than conventional prostate cancer therapies. Prostate cancer feeds off of testosterone, so testosterone-blocking therapy is a common treatment. But as the condition advances, cancer cells start to make their own testosterone. They no longer have to rely on the body's stores, making the hormone-blocking therapy much less effective.
Zytiga works by preventing cancer cells from producing the testosterone they need to grow. It's like taking the kitchen out of the house. And with the hormone-blocking therapy, cancer cells can't "order out" either.
One of the current standard treatments for advanced stage prostate cancer is chemotherapy.
If you’ve ever been through chemo, or know someone who has, then you understand that while it can be effective, it carries its own harsh side effects. More infections and debilitating fatigue can happen.
If approved for more widespread use, Zytiga will give patients an oral therapy option to replace or prolong the need for chemo. Which is great since it does away with all kinds of unpleasant treatment side effects.
Experts also believe that FDA approval will prompt more health insurance providers to cover the drug’s cost.
Will You Need This Medical Breakthrough?
Eighty percent of men who reach 80 years old will have had prostate cancer. It's the second most common cancer in men. Nearly 250,000 cases will be diagnosed in 2012.
Sure, it’s highly treatable when caught early. But it still kills about 30,000 of our fathers, sons, brothers and friends each year.
Medical breakthroughs, like Zytiga, may be the hope many struggling families need. Share this information with people you know or love who are dealing with this type of cancer.
If you are a man who hasn’t been screened for prostate cancer yet, talk to your primary care physician. He or she will help you decide when and what type of prostate cancer screening is appropriate.
Don’t wait. Start the conversation with your doctor now.
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