A Pill to End Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cancer killer of men after lung cancer. Every year 680,000 men across the globe are diagnosed and approximately 220,000 will die as a result of the disease. But what if it could all be changed with just one drug?

It may seem like fighting a prostate cancer diagnosis would take more than a simple once-a-day pill, but researchers have discovered that the prescription may entail just that. In a study of men with aggressive prostate cancer, a single pill called Abiraterone proved to considerably reduce the size of their tumors, even after they had not seen results from any other form of treatment. Scientists said they “believe this drug will make a difference.”
 
Well, that may just be true. The study showed that about 70% to 80% of the study participants had decreased tumor size even after the cancer had spread to other parts of their bodies. The drug works to stop cancer from making the hormones that keep cancer cells thriving.
 
Researchers say Abiraterone also caused a decrease in prostate-specific antigen, a protein that increases as a prostate enlarges or if there is a tumor gland. Another bonus: Several of the men who took the drug have been taking it for as long as two-and-a-half years and researchers said they suffered from only a few side effects, including weight gain and fatigue. Scientists are hopeful that the drug will hit the market in 2011.  [MSNBC]