A new combination of drugs could help delay the advancement of a deadly form of prostate cancer in those with an advanced form of the disease, new research has found.
The “striking” findings showed an overall upward trend in life expectancy when patients took niraparib – a targeted therapy that blocks cancer cells from repairing their DNA when damaged – alongside the standard abiraterone acetate and prednisone treatments.
One in four prostate cancer patients currently have “limited benefits” from standard hormone treatment due to a genetic mutation that can allow cancer cells to grow and mutate more rapidly, according to doctors at University College London (UCL).
In the study of 696 men across 32 countries, doctors found the new drug combination led to a 37 per cent reduction in the risk of cancer growth in all patients, and a 48 per cent reduction in a subgroup of patients with the genetic mutations.
Medics also found the time until symptoms got worse was twice as long for patients who received niraparib compared to those who received a placebo, reducing the number of patients who had notable worsening in symptoms from 34 per cent to 16 per cent.
Niraparib is approved in the UK to treat some types of cancer, but has not yet been approved for prostate cancer.
Professor Gerhardt Attard, who led the study, said the new combination could “significantly prolong life expectancy” in patients with mutations in their homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes.
“Although current standard treatments are very effective for the majority of patients with advanced prostate cancer, a small but very significant proportion of patients have limited benefit,” he said.
“We now know that prostate cancers with alterations in HRR genes account for a significant group of patients whose disease recurs quickly and has an aggressive course. By combining with niraparib, we can delay the cancer returning and hopefully significantly prolong life expectancy.
“These findings are striking because they support widespread genomic testing at diagnosis with use of a targeted treatment for patients who stand to derive the greatest benefit.
“For cancers with a mutation in one of the eligible HRR genes, where niraparib has been approved, a doctor should consider a discussion that balances the risks of side effects against the clear benefit to delaying disease growth and worsening symptoms.”
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 63,000 men diagnosed and around 12,000 men dying from the disease each year, according to Prostate Cancer UK.
Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy has been calling for earlier screening for the disease after revealing he received a terminal diagnosis aged just 47.
“With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat,” he said. “We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier, and stop them getting the news I got.”
A surge of men came forward for testing in February 2024, after Buckingham Palace announced King Charles was receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate. He was later diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer, which the palace said was not prostate cancer but was discovered during this treatment. Earlier this year, the King said his diagnosis is “daunting and at times frightening”.
