SINGAPORE: A new
drug to treat advanced stage prostate cancer may prolong lives and mitigate
pain for patients whose conditions have worsened while on, or after
chemotherapy.
Called Zytiga, the pill has been approved by the Health
Sciences Authority of Singapore.
Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer among
Singaporean men.
In global clinical trials, patients lived an average of 4.6
months longer after taking the drug.
The pill suppresses the body's production of
testosterone, the male sex hormone, which has been linked to the growth of
prostate cancer.
Drug manufacturer Janssen said it is priced competitively
with other comparable treatments in the market.
The National Cancer Centre Singapore said local patients
have taken well to the drug.
Doctors said side effects such as fluid retention and low
potassium levels are manageable.
Dr Sim Hong Gee, Director of Urologic Oncology at
Singapore General Hospital, said: "Generally, in men who are about to
start on hormone treatment, they are assessed carefully to look at the bone
density, to look at various components of their blood, to make sure that they
do not have any electrolyte abnormalities or bone abnormalities that would
predispose them to problems."
- CNA/de
No comments:
Post a Comment