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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Men with locally advanced prostate cancer often face a treatment known as medical castration. The treatment involves using hormones to block the testosterone that often helps the cancer to survive. Now, there may be a much more appealing option for men.
Medical castration is a proven way to increase survival for men treated for prostate cancer. The men, however, face side effects that include loss of libido, impotency and hot flashes. Chemical castration is used along with radiation therapy.
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Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee report the drug bicalutamide, also known as Casodex, can prolong survival with fewer negative side effects than chemical castration.
Bicalutamide is a non-steroidal anti-androgen. When tested in 1,370 men with early prostate cancer who also underwent radiotherapy, the oral drug showed success extending disease-free survival and overall risk of death.
The men in the study were followed for 7.2 years. Those who received a daily dose of the medication reduced their risk of disease progression by 44 percent and their risk of death by 35 percent as compared to men on a placebo and radiotherapy alone.
William A. See, M.D., author of the study, writes, "Although many of the adverse effects of castration therapy are manageable, they can have a detrimental effect on quality of life. Here we have evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a non-castration-based therapy, and found the survival rates to be similar."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, published online Aug. 22, 2006
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