Drug offers prostate cancer hope
Experimental immunotherapy used to prolong the lives of two Mayo Clinic patients whose prostate cancer was considered inoperable may have cured them. The two were among 85 inoperable patients treated with hormones and an experimental antibody called ipilimumab. Several have shown such dramatic regression that they've left the trial to have surgery. However, immunologist Eugene Kwon admits the first was operated on only because his wife insisted, 'not because we were so brilliant'. More than 18 months later, he has no signs of cancer. Another also appears to be cancer-free now and a third was operated on this month, WebMD reports.
Painkillers reduce prostate problems
Meanwhile, a separate Mayo Clinic team says common painkillers such as aspirin may incidentally ward off prostate problems, based on a study of men with swollen glands who took daily doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories for other conditions. On average, their benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate, common in men aged over 40) was reduced by about 50 per cent. And they had more than one-third fewer moderate to severe urinary problems than those not on painkillers, healthday.com reports.
Green tea may slow cancer growth
A green tea extract may slow the growth of prostate cancer, say Louisiana State University researchers, based on a trial of 26 patients due to have their glands removed. Each took four capsules a day of epigallocatechin gallate (equivalent to 12 cups of green tea) for a month before the operation. The result was a fall of up to 30 per cent in the levels of proteins that tumours use to grow, Reuters reports. It's not clear if the extract can shrink tumours, but team leader Jim Cardelli says it can 'keep cancer from growing very fast [and] can be a good addition to traditional therapies'.