| While treatment for prostate cancer varies, and men | | | | prostate gland to freeze and kill cancer cells. A study |
| have a wide menu of choices, there are a few new | | | | was done involving twenty men who had prostate |
| treatment options in the works that may soon be | | | | cancer; all were given focal cryosurgery, and of the |
| available. A new vaccine, improved cryosurgery, and | | | | twenty, nineteen showed no signs of cancer as much |
| a new gene-based therapy are currently in | | | | as eight years later. |
| development. The vaccine dubbed Provenge is | | | | The advantage of cryosurgery is that the procedure |
| currently on the FDA's fast track program, | | | | can be successfully performed without resulting in the |
| cryosurgery has been around for awhile but has seen | | | | major side effects of traditional prostate removal |
| some recent advances in technique that make it | | | | surgery, such as impotence and incontinence. |
| more viable, and the new gene therapy known as | | | | Although not widely performed, focal cryosurgery is |
| Ad5-TRAIL involves injecting a virus carrying a | | | | a promising new treatment that solves one of the |
| prostate cancer fighting gene into the prostate gland | | | | major problems in men facing prostate cancer. |
| itself. This article will examine the current status and | | | | The third new treatment option is a gene-based |
| details of these new prostate cancer treatments. | | | | therapy called Ad5-TRAIL. The TRAIL gene is able to |
| Dendreon Corporation's prostate cancer vaccine | | | | produce what's known as apoptosis in cells, which is a |
| known as Provenge is the most promising new | | | | "planned" cell death, as opposed to necrosis, which is |
| treatment of the three. Intended for cancer that has | | | | death due to injury. The TRAIL gene is inserted into |
| spread outside the prostate gland and is so far | | | | the prostate gland via a virus that has been |
| without symptoms, the vaccine "teaches" the | | | | engineered to not reproduce, and passes the |
| patient's immune cells to attack the cancer. Having | | | | program for apoptosis on to the tumor cells, which |
| just finished its second Phase 3 trial, the drug has | | | | then die. |
| shown a 30% increase in survival rates among | | | | The advantage to this therapy is that the |
| advanced prostate cancer patients. Since it fills in a | | | | programmed cell death only affects cancerous cells |
| much-needed gap in the prostate cancer treatment | | | | and leaves normal cells alone. The treatment is still in |
| field, it has been granted "fast track" status with the | | | | its infancy and is currently only in Phase I of its clinical |
| United States' Federal Drug Administration, which will | | | | trial. |
| hopefully speed along the approval process. While | | | | The future looks hopeful for prostate cancer. New |
| Provenge may be useful for advanced prostate | | | | treatment options are in their infancy, but a few are |
| cancer, there is a new surgery for cancer patients in | | | | on the verge of becoming reality. Provenge is on |
| whom the disease is confined to the prostate gland. | | | | track to FDA approval, and focal cryosurgery is |
| Also known as the "male lumpectomy," cryosurgery | | | | available today. While Ad5-TRAIL gene therapy is |
| has been around for some decades. However, some | | | | years away from becoming a viable treatment, it |
| recent advances in it have increased its potential | | | | perhaps looks the most promising as a targeted, |
| effectiveness. The latest incarnation, focal | | | | gene-based therapy that directly attacks only cancer |
| cryosurgery, uses argon gas injected directly into the | | | | cells. |