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New Drug Prolongs Life of Prostate Cancer Patients |
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MONDAY, June 7 (HealthDayNews) -- The drug docetaxel, made from yew tree needles, extends the lives of people with advanced prostate cancer.
That finding was presented June 7 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in New Orleans.
The study of 1,006 people in 24 countries found the drug decreased the odds of dying by 24 percent in advanced prostate cancer patients resistant to hormone therapy.
The findings offer hope that earlier use of docetaxel alone or in combination with other treatments will result in longer improvements in survival for such patients, the researchers said.
"This is good news for our prostate cancer patients," Dr. Mario Eisenberger, study co-chairman and an oncology professor at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, said in a statement.
"These data indicate that the current standard of care for these patients should be docetaxel therapy, and we should try adding new agents to build upon this success and test it in patients with aggressive disease before the cancer spreads," Eisenberger said.
The study was funded by Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about prostate cancer.
(SOURCE: American Society of Clinical Oncology, news release, June 7, 2004)
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