Aussie Researchers Find Drug Combo Better Treatment For Advanced Prostate Cancer

Adelaide, Australia (AHN) - Australian researchers have found that combining three new prostate drugs in treating advance prostate cancer is more effective and causes fewer side effects for patients.

Dr. Wayne Tilley and Dr. Lisa Butler of the University of Adelaide's Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories have successfully killed prostate cancer cells in laboratory studies using low doses of bicalutamide in combination with the anti-cancer drugs 17AAG or vorinostat. The method inhibits prostate cancer cell proliferation more than tenfold, according to the researchers.

Bicalutamide is an anti-androgen and opposes the action of androgen on the tumor. By blocking androgen receptors and the effects of androgens in the body, the drug causes "reduced libido, impotence, hot flushes, tiredness and sweating, gradual decrease in body hair, reduced bone and muscle strength, and cognitive changes," Tilley said, according to Newswise.

The combination therapy will be clinically tested by Dr. Chris Sweeney, a world-recognized medical oncologist and director of clinical trials at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Center.