Men who expect to die from prostate cancer have been offered new hope by a drug which could represent the biggest step forward in treating the disease in 60 years.
A preliminary trial has shown that abiraterone can reverse even the most aggressive, resistant and deadly cancers.
The once-a-day pill significantly shrank tumours in men with advanced prostate cancer who had not responded to other treatments
Doctors believe it could potentially prolong the lives of up to 10,000 men each year, as well as providing relief from symptoms such as excruciating bone pain.
Between 70 and 80 per cent of the seriously ill men treated with the drug have shown significant improvements.
In between 20 and 30 per cent of cases patients have experienced dramatic falls in PSA - the blood marker used to test for prostate cancer — and greatly surpassed their expectations of survival.
A much larger study involving 1,200 patients worldwide and 10 centres in the UK began two months ago and will directly measure the extent to which the drug can keep people alive.
Results from other smaller trials in the US are yet to be published.
PA
