A New Treatment for Prostate Cancer is Just Around the Corner

While reading medical news on the American Cancer Society's website, I came upon an article about a new drug in the approval process from the FDA. The new drug Provenge came one step closer to being approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), when their Advisory Board ruled that it was safe and effective.

While this new drug is being called a vaccine by many, it is in fact a treatment for existing patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body and are no longer responded to hormone therapy. The vaccine title comes from the drugs ability to help the immune system attack the tumor by combining the patients own cells with a protein that kicks their system into gear.

Though the clinical study showed no difference in how long it took for the tumor to start growing again, the men that took the drug lived an average of 4.5 months longer than the men that took the placebo.

This was enough proof to get a 13-4 favorable panel vote that the Provenge is effective. That same panel also voted 17-0 that the new drug was safe, taking into account the generally mild side effects including chills, fatigue, fever and back pain. However, slightly more than 5% of the men given the Provenge suffered a stroke compared to none on the placebo.

A final answer is expected from the FDA in May. If approved, it will offer another treatment option to patients who would have no other hope. Once prostate cancer becomes resistant to hormone therapy it is considered incurable.

At this point, these patients are often given different drugs to help with the pain and possibly slow the growth of the cancer.

Since Provenge is not yet approved, it only available through clinical trials. The creator of Provenge, Dendreon, is conducting a phase three trial to test the drugs results on metastatic prostate cancer that has worsened while on hormone therapy.

While, we still wait with baited breath for new treatments in the fight against cancer, it is hope for us all to hear the great leaps that are being made in the science that heals us.