Healthy living
Body matters
Prostate cancer treatment trial - volunteers wanted
A vaccine designed to prevent the cancer spreading is being tested at a Surrey hospital
Despite increasingly successful treatment of early prostate cancer, many men have disease that recurs. Hormone therapy is used to control recurrent disease, but eventually PSA levels (a blood marker for prostate cancer) start to rise again. Rising PSA levels indicate that the cancer has begun to grow again.
Chemotherapies are available once the disease has spread to the bone. However, there are increasing numbers of men receiving hormone therapy whose PSA has begun to rise, but whose disease cannot yet be detected in the bone. There are no treatment options for patients at this stage of disease.
A new clinical trial (Phase IIb) has started at the Royal Surrey County Hospital and doctors are looking for these patients. The trial is studying the effects of a new vaccine treatment called Onyvax-P. The vaccine is being tested to see if it will slow down the spread of the disease. If patients or doctors would like to find out more, please visit www.onyvax.com.
Previous trials of Onyvax-P demonstrated a significant slowing of PSA rise in 40% of patients. The average time to for the disease to show signs of worsening was increased from 29-30 weeks to 58 weeks. In addition, only mild side effects were seen.
To find out more, go to Onyvax's website or contact Angel Garcia on 01483 688572, the research nurse at Guildford Royal County Hospital.
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.