Experimental drug is effective against advanced form of prostate cancer

An experimental drug that delivers small doses of radiation for cancer that has spread to the bones proved to be efficient to treat patients with an advanced form of prostate cancer. It was found that the radio-223 chloride (also called Alpharadin) prolonged the survival of men whose prostate cancer had spread to the bones. The advanced prostate cancer spreads to the bones by about 90% of patients, and once the cancer has spread, it becomes more difficult to treat successfully.

The alpha-pharmaceutical treatment delivers a small dose, highly charged and targeted radiation to these secondary tumors.

A phase III drug, involving 922 patients, was stopped because of its high level of success.

They found that patients who received the best standard treatment with radio-223 lived longer than those who received the same standard treatment in conjunction with a drug placebo.

Reporting the results, Chris Parker, a clinical oncologist at the Royal Marsden in London, said the average survival rate for patients who received radio-223 was 14 months compared with 11.2 months in the other group.

Patients taking radio-223 had a death rate 30% lower compared with patients taking placebo.

Parker also said I have no doubt that further testing will be looking for a combination of radio-223 with other drugs that are currently used in prostate cancer and that there will be studies using the radio earlier in the disease. In addition, the drug could be used in many other cancers that spread to the bones, regardless of where you started.

The researchers said the drug has relatively few side effects and they plan to submit their data for regulatory approval of drugs.

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