'Zoladex(R)' (Goserelin) Adjuvant to Radiotherapy Found to Extend Life in Prostate Cancer Patients
April 04 2005 - 2:42AM
PR Newswire (US)
'Zoladex(R)' (Goserelin) Adjuvant to Radiotherapy Found to Extend
Life in Prostate Cancer Patients Independent 10-year Study Confirms
Powerful Beneficial Effect of Goserelin Following Radiotherapy
MACCLESFIELD, England, April 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- New
long-term data published this month shows that giving goserelin
following radiotherapy extends life for men with prostate
cancer.[1] The independent study by the Radiation Therapy Oncology
Group (RTOG study 85-31) involving nearly 1,000 patients with
locally advanced prostate cancer is one of the longest and largest
studies of its type. The study shows that administering goserelin
following radiotherapy reduces the progression of prostate cancer
and significantly improves survival. The RTOG is a clinical
research component of the American College of Radiology. "Prostate
cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in many
Western countries, it is the most common male cancer in the US and
the incidence of the disease is increasing", points out Dr Colleen
Lawton, from the RTOG. "These data provide new hope for long term
survival for prostate cancer patients. By adding hormonal therapy,
we can now begin to think in terms of increased possibilities of
freedom from prostate cancer." The RTOG study evaluated the
effectiveness of administering goserelin to patients with prostate
cancer treated with radiotherapy. Nearly one thousand (977)
patients with locally advanced prostate cancer received either
radiotherapy followed by monthly adjuvant goserelin 3.6 mg, or
radiotherapy alone followed by observation and goserelin
administration at relapse. Results showed that, for patients
receiving goserelin adjuvant to radiotherapy, significant
improvements were seen in terms of overall survival, disease-free
survival, the likelihood of distant metastases and of local
failure. Goserelin Goserelin, first introduced in 1987, is a
Luteinising Hormone-Releasing Hormone agonist (LHRHa) which reduces
levels of sex hormones (testosterone in men and oestradiol in
women) and is used to treat prostate cancer in men and
hormone-dependent breast cancer in pre- and peri-menopausal women.
Since launch, there have been over 3.75 million patient years'
exposure to the drug's benefits. Prostate cancer Prostate cancer is
the presence of cancer cells in the prostate gland. It is the
second most commonly diagnosed male cancer in many western
countries, and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer
deaths.[2],[3],[4] Over 679,000 new cases of prostate cancer were
diagnosed worldwide in 2002.[5] The prostate is a male sex gland
that produces a thick fluid that forms part of semen. It is
normally about the size of a walnut and is located below the
bladder and in front of the rectum. AstraZeneca in Oncology
AstraZeneca continues its tradition of research excellence and
innovation in oncology that led to the development of its current
anti-cancer therapies including 'Arimidex' (anastrozole), 'Casodex'
(bicalutamide), 'Faslodex' (fulvestrant), 'Nolvadex' (tamoxifen),
'Zoladex' (goserelin), and 'Iressa' (gefitinib), as well as a range
of novel targeted products such as anti-proliferatives,
anti-angiogenics, vascular targeting and anti-invasive agents.
AstraZeneca has over 20 different anti-cancer projects in research
and development. 'Zoladex', 'Arimidex', 'Casodex', 'Faslodex',
'Nolvadex' and 'Iressa' are trademarks of the AstraZeneca group of
companies. References [1] Pilepich MV, Winter K, Lawton CA et al.
Androgen suppression adjuvant to definitive radiotherapy in
carcinoma of the prostate - Long term results of phase III RTOG
85-31. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2005; 61 (5):1285-1290 [2]
Kirby RS, Watson A, Newling DWW et al. Prostate cancer and sexual
function. Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases 1998; 1: 179-184
[3] Jones GW. Magnitude of the problem. Cancer 1993; 71: 887 - 890
[4] Parker SL, Tong T, Bolden S, Wingo PA. Cancer statistics 1996.
Ca Cancer J Clin 1996; 46: 5-27 [5]
http://www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/ The Prostate Cancer Charity.
25th April 2001 DATASOURCE: AstraZeneca CONTACT: Global Media
Enquiries: Wendy White, Global Product PR Manager, Tel:
+44-(0)-1625-51-4896 Matthew Kent, Tonic Life Communications, Tel:
+44-(0)-20-7798-9906
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