CHAPEL HILL, N.C., June 10 (UPI) -- A newer type of non-aspirin medication may fight tumors in recurrent prostate cancer patients and slow the disease's progression, U.S. doctors have found.
The study, at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, shows Cox-2 inhibitors -- drugs widely used to treat arthritis symptoms -- benefit recurrent prostate cancer patients who show early signs of the disease's return.
The study followed 24 prostate cancer patients in whom the disease had recurred. After taking the Cox-2 inhibitor for three months, tests showed the disease had slowed or stabilized in 22 of the patients.
"The good news is it give us a lead time of up to seven years," said Dr. Raj S. Pruthi, the principal investigator. "The bad news is we don't have anything appropriate and effective to offer at this early stage of recurrence."
At present, no effective treatment exists for the estimated 50,000 men who annually experience a prostate cancer recurrence, as chemotherapy has proven disappointing in these cases, Pruthi said.
