Two new medicines to treat advanced prostate cancer hailed as a ‘breakthrough’ - what it means

By Claire Schofield
Published 21st Sep 2020, 15:36 BST
Updated 21st Sep 2020, 15:36 BST
Do you know the symptoms to look for? (Photo: Shutterstock)Do you know the symptoms to look for? (Photo: Shutterstock)
Do you know the symptoms to look for? (Photo: Shutterstock)

Two new medicines for treating advanced prostate cancer in men have been hailed as a “real breakthrough” by Prostate Cancer UK.

The drugs, olaparib and ipatasertib, could potentially become the first ever precision medicines for prostate cancer.

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Such medicines take into account the genetics of a person’s cancer, including variability in genes, environment and lifestyle, meaning treatment can be targeted to an individual.

No more ‘one size fits all’

The new research, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s Virtua Congress 2020, claims the two drugs could mark “a new era for prostate cancer treatment”.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said the results represent a real breakthrough and could benefit thousands of men in the advanced stages of the disease.

Olaparib is currently already approved for breast cancer patients and has been shown to slow the progression of prostate cancer in men whose tumours contain certain gene defects.