Hopeful New Treatment For Men Battling Prostate Cancer (NAPSA)—In a recent newsletter, The Prostate Net reported that a new biological therapy for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer has been evaluated for the treatment of men with hormone-refractory—failure of hormones to control the disease—or metastatic—distant disease spread—prostate cancer. Biological therapy involves using naturally occurring compounds that increase the body’s natural immune defensesor interrupt the unnatural growth patterns of cancer cells. The drug, called Xinlay, is an investigational, oral, once-daily, nonhormonal, nonchemotherapy agent intended to provide clinical benefit to these patients. It is a product of Abbott Laboratories. The FDAis reviewing data supporting the safety and effectiveness of this biologic, based on two recent Phase III studies of 1,002 men who becameresistant to hormonal therapy, and it could be approved toward the end of this year or early in 2006. The Prostate Net www.prostatenet.org According to research conducted by Drs. Nicholas Vogelzang and Joel Nelson on men with metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer, Xinlay appeared to slow the biochemical progression of the disease, delayed the time to onset of bone pain, decreased the incidence of bone pain Dr. Vogelzang’s research offers new treatment options for men battling prostate cancer. and produced an improvement in quality of life. Bone pain from metastases is one of the more disabling manifestations of advanced prostate cancer. It may severely affect quality of life, causing pain, increased risk of fractures and other lifethreatening complications. Additionally, the drug is also being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of men with nonmetastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer who have not received hormone therapy, as well as in combination with other approved treatments for advanced prostate cancer. It is believed this novel cytostatic agent could provide measurable benefit in reducing the time to disease progression, which is key to a patient population that had limited treatment options heretofore.
