http://www.presstv.ir/detail/98694.htm?sectionid=3510210
Breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment
Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:26:26 GMT
A new immune drug has shown promising results in shrinking prostate tumors in men suffering from advanced cancers spreading outside the prostate.
Hormone therapy is usually prescribed in individuals suffering from advanced prostate cancer, which has spread beyond the prostate gland, with the aim of shrinking the size of the tumor so that it becomes operable.
A new monoclonal antibody known as ipilimumab (MDX-010) has shown promising results in reducing the size of the prostate tumor, enabling surgeons to operate and remove the inoperable cancerous tissue.
According to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the drug targets a molecule on T-cells -- an immune cell that inhibits the immune system's ability to fight cancer cells, encouraging a strong immune response to cancer cells.
The drug is reported not only to lower the prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels but also to considerably reduce the tumor.
Scientists are optimistic that their findings will help treat advanced forms of prostate cancer in the near future.
PKH/HGH