One suggestion (of many):
A new drug trialled at The Royal Marsden for men with advanced prostate cancer has been given approval for use in the UK.
Xofigo (radium-223 dichloride), which has been hailed as a “huge step forward” in treating prostate cancer patients, is now available for the treatment of men with castration-resistant prostate cancer who have symptomatic bone metastases.
The drug was so successful in the trial phases that it was stopped early once it became clear that the drug was effective. The drug not only enabled men to live long but when they are taking it they have fewer side-effects and less pain, giving them a better quality of life.
This announcement follows a positive recommendation from the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and the marketing authorisation by the European Commission (EC) for Xofigo based on data from the pivotal Phase III ALSYMPCA study.
Dr Chris Parker, Principal Investigator of the ALSYMPCA trial and Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, said he was delighted the drug has been approved for use in the UK.
He added: “The majority of men who develop castration-resistant prostate cancer will develop bone metastases which can be painful and even life-threatening. Until now, treatment for bone secondaries has been limited to symptom control, rather than improving survival. The source of radiation, radium-223, acts like calcium and sticks to the bone, targeting the tumours. This drug enables men to live longer and experience less pain and fewer side-effects. There are many men with this disease who will now benefit from the availability of radium-223, the approval of this drug is a huge step forward for prostate cancer patients.”
But - but... will your urologist go along?
If not, perhaps you could ask your GP for a Royal Marsden referral?
I believe anything is worth a try to beat the "little buggers"
Best wishes
Graham