Key points from article :
New high-tech drug treatment for prostate cancer can keep patients alive and healthy for longer, a new phase III trial reports.
The search and destroy treatment could shrink tumours while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
Uses a homing device to seek out cancers by detecting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) on the surface of cancer cells.
Clinical trial involved 831 participants with PSMA-positive advanced prostate cancer.
Adding 177Lu-PSMA-617 to standard care extended patients’ lives by 4 months.
Men were 38% less likely to die during the 20.9-month follow-up.
“This new treatment acts like a guided missile seeking out cancer cells," - Johann de Bono, study co-author.
“A smarter, kinder treatment...while reducing the risk of side effects," - Paul Workman, Chief Executive of ICR.
Research by ICR, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, to be presented at the ASCO.
