New drug combination could give prostate cancer patients months of extra life and revolutionize treatment

A new drug combination could give prostate cancer patients months of extra life and revolutionize treatment.

The usual course of action once the disease has spread is to target tumors with drugs that block testosterone.

However, in aggressive cases, this hormone therapy may no longer work.

According to The Mirror, scientists have added olaparib – a blocker of the DNA repair enzyme in cancer cells – to the testosterone blocker arabiraton.

After a study of 800 men, the combination was found to extend the life of stage 4 patients by an average of 7.4 months compared to Abiratone alone.

Dave Kinsey, 68, from Wigan, Lancashire, went to the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester to take part in the PROpel study, which is funded by Merck and AstraZeneca.

When he was diagnosed in 2016 and given three to five years, a blood test showed the retired civil engineer’s PSA was 36 against a normal range of 4 or less.

Mr. Kinsey continued taking the drug combination after the study ended last October and his PSA was now below 0.1. He has no signs of active cancer.

The usual course of action once the disease has spread is to target tumors with drugs that block testosterone. [File image]

According to The Mirror, Mr Kinsley said: “The cancer was in the lymph nodes, neck, chest and my groin. Then the bone scan I had when I was assessed for the study showed cancer in my spine.

“There has been no progress since then.”

Meanwhile, the study also found that the addition of olaparib means chemotherapy may not be necessary.

The treatment is now being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.