A prostate cancer drug may delay the spread of cancer to the bones, new research suggests.
The drug, called denosumab, has already been approved by the FDA for the treatment osteoporosis, but researchers believed it also could potentially slow down the spread of prostate cancer to the bones.
Researchers analyzed data over 1,400 prostate cancer patients who received either denosumab or a placebo every month for two years. Results showed that denosumab seemed to increase bone-metastasis-free survival by about four months, compared to those who took placebo.
According to Dr. Matthew Smith, lead study author and professor at Harvard Medical School, the prostate cancer sufferers who have bone metastases generally have a worse prognosis, which highlights the need to prevent metastasis.
According to Dr. David Crawford of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center at Denver, this treatment is promising because it is the first of its kind to delay metastases through a means other than chemotherapy or hormonal treatment.
"This will be a very important modality to use in high risk patients and yes patients should be optimistic there have been four new drugs approved in advanced prostate cancer in the last year,” said Crawford, as quoted by ABC.
The research was published in the Lancet.
