A man who was given just years to live after being diagnosed with aggressive and incurable prostate cancer is now virtually tumor-free, just months after starting a revolutionary drug treatment.
In April, Andy Willis became one of the first people ever to receive the experimental treatment after being told his cancer had progressed too far for conventional treatment.
The 51-year-old Lancastrian now takes seven tablets a day – with no side effects. Most importantly, scans show that the cancer is now almost undetectable.
“I thank my lucky stars every day that I have the opportunity to use this medication,” says Andy, a retired church member. “It went downhill. I was sick and weak. Within a few weeks of starting treatment, the pain subsided and I had more energy. I feel like I’m getting my life back.’
The new drug, called AZD5305, is a type of advanced pill known as a polyadenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor designed to kill cancer cells by preventing them from repairing themselves.
Another PARP inhibitor called olaparib was approved earlier this year for certain NHS patients with prostate cancer and breast cancer. The breakthrough drug is also used to treat a number of other forms of the disease, including ovarian and fallopian tube cancer.
The new drug, called AZD5305, is a type of advanced pill known as a polyadenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor designed to kill cancer cells by preventing them from repairing themselves.
However, about half of all patients taking olaparib experience anemia, in which a low red blood cell count causes fatigue and reduces the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Almost everyone who takes olaparib and develops the disease must stop using the drug.
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But AZD5305 is expected to significantly reduce the risk of anemia and provide a new option for this group.
“PARP inhibitors such as olaparib have proven very successful in cancer patients, especially those with advanced disease,” says Dr. Andrew Hudson, clinical oncologist at Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
“But it carries a high risk of side effects. Olaparib also affects proteins in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced, and there’s not much we can do about it.”
However, AZD5305 does not appear to do this, according to Dr. Hudson explains: “We hope it can help younger patients with aggressive prostate cancer to have a better quality of life.”
Prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men, with 52,000 new diagnoses each year. The majority occurs in men over the age of 65 and tends to progress slowly. Many patients will never need treatment because the disease does not threaten their health.
However, about a tenth of patients suffer from an aggressive form of the disease, which, even if detected early, spreads rapidly and becomes rapidly fatal. This prostate cancer is usually hereditary – caused by errors in the patient’s genes – and affects younger men. These patients make up a large proportion of the approximately 12,000 Britons who die from prostate cancer each year.
About half of all men with advanced prostate cancer survive less than five years.
In April, patients with a certain form of hereditary aggressive prostate cancer caused by the BRCA gene mutation were given the option of receiving olaparib. Experts believe it could eventually benefit other people with hereditary cancer. “We know from studies that patients with DNA damage respond best to PARP inhibitors,” says Dr. Hudson. “BRCA is an example of this.”
AZD5305 is designed to be taken daily with another pill called enzalutamide, which blocks the effects of testosterone on prostate cancer cells.
The early trial, which is being carried out at Christie NHS Foundation Trust and other hospitals around the world, will see a small number of prostate cancer patients given the drug to analyze their risk of anaemia.
If the study shows that the drug significantly reduces the number of cases, the next step will be a larger study to decide whether it can be offered to patients as an alternative to olaparib.
Dr Hudson says that while it is too early to say whether the drug will be available on the NHS, he has been surprised by Andy Willis’ overwhelmingly positive response to the treatment.
“It’s definitely better than we expected if he had just taken enzalutamide,” he adds. “And the most important thing is that he had no serious side effects.
“Thanks to drugs like PARP inhibitors, we are entering a new era for the treatment of this aggressive prostate cancer.”
“These patients have been alive for several years now, still working and leading relatively normal lives.”
“But that’s assuming they don’t experience side effects, including anemia.” “A drug that could help prevent this risk would make a big difference.”
I had no side effects
Andy Willis first noticed something was wrong when he was holidaying in Scotland three years ago.
Two days after the trip, the 51-year-old from Lancashire suffered back pain and difficulty urinating. Andy knew his father had died of prostate cancer at the age of 60 and immediately made an appointment with his GP. The retired community worker was quickly referred to hospital where scans revealed a large tumor in his prostate.
Andy says: “The doctors told me it was essentially the worst case scenario. “The cancer was aggressive and had spread throughout my body. It was incurable.’
He was offered hormone suppressants to slow the cancer and six rounds of chemotherapy. “But I was told it would only buy me time,” he says.
In addition, Andy was seriously ill. “I was so weak that I couldn’t go anywhere. I had difficulty walking up the stairs.’
In April, he was given the opportunity to participate in a trial of AZD5305. He says: “Within a few weeks I got up to urinate less often at night and I stopped using painkillers.” And after a month I was able to live a relatively normal life again. I had no side effects at all, which is amazing.”
Crucially, scans and blood tests show that the cancer has shrunk to the point where it is almost undetectable.
“I know it’s not a cure,” he says, “but I hope it can keep the disease under control for a while.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
