'Magic Pill' for Patients With Aggressive Prostate Cancer On the Anvil

A study from the Institute of Cancer Research based in London and Surrey indicates that a potentially life-prolonging pill for men with aggressive prostate cancer could be available within a year. The abiraterone acetate drug, for which phase three trials were halted on ethical grounds, will offer new hope to men with advanced prostate cancer.

The study has important implications because currently men with this aggressive type of prostate cancer currently have very few treatment options and a poor prognosis.

Risk of death was reduced by 35percent in men receiving abiraterone while survival was increased by 36 percent from a midpoint of 10.9 to 14.8 months.

"The news that abiraterone acetate may extend survival with manageable side-effects will be incredibly important to men with prostate cancer and their families," Sky News quoted study leader Dr Johan de Bono as saying.

Results from the trial have been presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Milan, Italy.

Source-ANI