TUH ‘breakthrough’ in treating certain prostate cancers
THERE’s been a ‘breakthrough’ in the treatment of certain prostate cancers following a drug trial at Tallaght University Hospital.
Medical researchers at the local hospital have taken part in a clinical trial, which has discovered that a drug called Rucaparib is successful in the treatment of certain prostate cancers.
The trial, which began in 2017, was partly carried out in Ireland to find better treatments for prostate cancer.
The purpose of the study was to determine how patients with prostate cancer, which had spread, responded to treatment with Rucaparib versus treatment with other medications.
According to Tallaght University Hospital (TUH): “The trial only involved men who had either a BRCA or ATM gene mutation.
“All of the patients who took part in this study also had what is known as castrate-resistant prostate cancer.
“In short, this means that prostate cancer keeps growing even when the amount of testosterone in the body is reduced to very low levels.”
Over a five-year period, TUH screened 120 men for the study.
Once patient consent was given, a blood sample was shipped to Foundation Medicine in the USA and tested for a panel of genes.
Some 17 patients, 13 of whom were in TUH, had the required genes and met all other criteria and proceeded to the main trial.
Ray McDermott, Clinical Professor of Medical Oncology at TUH, was one of the principal investigators for the trial.
He is also the National Cancer Control Programme lead in guideline development for prostate cancer.
Prof McDermott supervised care to the men taking part in the research, with patients reviewed regularly by TUH’s Oncology Clinical Trials team and supplied with medication through the local hospital’s Pharmacy Department.
The hospital this week noted how the New England Journal of Medicine has reported that the trial demonstrated that progression-free survival was significantly improved when patients with certain prostate cancers were treated with Rucaparib versus other medications.
The hospital, which branded the trial a ‘breakthrough’, also said that it was discovered that Rucaparib provides a potential treatment option for eligible men with earlier-stage disease too.
