«Breaking Pic News» New drug offers hope for patients with 'ultra-mutant' prostate cancer

Men with aggressive drug-resistant prostate cancer could see their tumours eradicated by a new treatment.

The 'ultra-mutant' tumours that lead to terminal prognoses could be killed off by a drug that unleashes the body's immune system, research suggests.

Usually, men with this form of the disease – called mismatch DNA repair – live half as long as other men with advanced prostate cancer.

Their tumours cannot correct mistakes in DNA and rapidly mutate to resist most treatments.

But now a study offers them hope, after it found that mismatch repair tumours could respond exceptionally well to a breakthrough drug.

Usually, men with this form of the disease – called mismatch DNA repair – live half as long as other men with advanced prostate cancer

Some 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each year but the severity of the disease varies hugely.

The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate deaths through better diagnosis and improved treatments.

Around eight per cent of men with advanced prostate cancer – one in 12 – have mismatched DNA repair. 

They can expect to live only 3.8 years after they start treatment, compared to seven years for others with advanced prostate cancer.

But the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, suggests these men will respond well to an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab. 

The drug is already used by the NHS for lung cancer. 

Study leader Professor Johann de Bono of the Institute of Cancer Research said: 'We made an exciting step forward in working out how to treat men with such aggressive, unstable tumours.'

He said that these tumours have higher levels of a protein that hides tumour cells from the immune system.

Pembrolizumab works by making cancer cells visible to the immune system, telling our body's attack cells where to target their assaults. 

In a previous trial of 258 men with advanced prostate cancer, pembrolizumab stopped tumours growing in 11 per cent of patients, and some saw their cancer disappear.

But the latest study suggests a far higher success rate will be seen in men with mismatch repair tumours – thanks to the protein. 

The researchers found that half of men with these tumours had high levels of the PD-L1 protein on their tumours, compared to 10 per cent of most advanced prostate cancers. They are now working on clinical trial to test the theory.

Professor Paul Workman, of The Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: 'This new study is exciting in providing a way to pick out those men with prostate cancer who have the most aggressive, unstable disease and the worst survival.

'But who conversely might be the best responders to immunotherapy. It will be fascinating to see whether we can translate the theory into practice.'

Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK said: 'This research brings together two of the most important emerging areas in prostate cancer research: immunotherapy and precision medicine.

'Immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to help fight disease, has been shown to be effective in other cancers and in small numbers of men with advanced prostate cancer.

'This important study has identified a group of men with aggressive prostate cancer who are most likely to benefit from this treatment approach.

'Although it's still early days, the results provide another piece of the jigsaw which will eventually help doctors decide on the best treatment for each individual man.'

WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?

How many people does it kill?

Prostate cancer became a bigger killer than breast cancer for the first time, official statistics revealed earlier this year. 

More than 11,800 men a year - or one every 45 minutes - are now killed by the disease in Britain, compared with about 11,400 women dying of breast cancer.

It means prostate cancer is behind only lung and bowel in terms of how many people it kills in Britain. In the US, the disease kills 26,000 each year.

Despite this, it receives less than half the research funding of breast cancer – while treatments for the disease are trailing at least a decade behind.

How quickly does it develop? 

Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs someone has it for many years, according to the NHS. 

If the cancer is at an early stage and not causing symptoms, a policy of 'watchful waiting' or 'active surveillance' may be adopted. 

Some patients can be cured if the disease is treated in the early stages.

But if it diagnosed at a later stage, when it has spread, then it becomes terminal and treatment revolves around relieving symptoms.

Thousands of men are put off seeking a diagnosis because of the known side effects from treatment, including erectile dysfunction.

Tests and treatment

Tests for prostate cancer are haphazard, with accurate tools only just beginning to emerge. 

There is no national prostate screening programme as for years the tests have been too inaccurate.

Doctors struggle to distinguish between aggressive and less serious tumours, making it hard to decide on treatment.

Men over 50 are eligible for a ‘PSA’ blood test which gives doctors a rough idea of whether a patient is at risk.

But it is unreliable. Patients who get a positive result are usually given a biopsy which is also not foolproof. 

Scientists are unsure as to what causes prostate cancer, but age, obesity and a lack of exercise are known risks. 

Anyone with any concerns can speak to Prostate Cancer UK's specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 or visit prostatecanceruk.org

Link article

https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/04/new-drug-offers-hope-for-patients-with-ultra-mutant-prostate-cancer/
Main photo article Men with aggressive drug-resistant prostate cancer could see their tumours eradicated by a new treatment.
The ‘ultra-mutant’ tumours that lead to terminal prognoses could be killed off by a drug that unleashes the body’s immune system, research suggests.
Usually, men with this...

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