cancer<\/a> could soon live longer thanks to a treatment which cuts the risk of the disease returning by nearly a third.<\/p>\nFor many diagnosed with the disease, removing the prostate is a powerful intervention. However, in around half of cases the cancer returns.<\/p>\n
Standard treatment involves drugs that reduce how much of the male sex hormone testosterone the body produces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Collectively, these are known as androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT. Many prostate cancers rely on testosterone to grow, so cutting off that supply can slow or shrink tumours.<\/p>\n
Now US researchers have published findings showing that men who receive apalutamide alongside standard ADT live longer, healthier lives.<\/p>\n
Apalutamide, also known by its brand name Erleada, is one of a new wave of drugs that work by blocking testosterone from fuelling tumour cells.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, experts welcomed the findings, saying the drug \u2018clearly improves outcomes in surgical patients at high risk of relapse\u2019.<\/p>\n
Results from the phase 3 PROTEUS trial suggest that adding apalutamide to standard ADT can significantly delay progression in men with high-risk prostate cancer.<\/p>\n