A Brazilian study developed by the Instituto de Pesquisa Moinhos, with the participation of Johns Hopkins Medicine International, seeks to evaluate a new form of treatment for prostate cancer.
The method, called bipolar androgen therapy consisting of high doses of testosterone associated with a medication already approved for prostate cancer , the Radium-223. Treatments similar to the new therapy were used in about 40 patients at Hospital Moinhos de Vento, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.
The promising preliminary results led to the recognition of the American Society of Clinical Oncology which awarded the award Career Development to the oncologist Pedro Henrique Isaacsson Velho, 36.
The award is considered the Oscar of oncology and recognizes professionals who stand out in their fields with research designed to improve patient experience and care.
In an interview with CNN the doctor, who works as head of the Moinhos Research Institute, stressed that it is gratifying to be alongside other initiatives led by institutions that are world references.
“This is an award that is 30 years old and, for the first time, a Brazilian hospital was selected. There are 20 selected projects that will receive 200 thousand dollars”, he says. The funds will be allocated to Hospital Moinhos de Vento to be invested in research projects on prostate cancer.
According to the specialist, the therapy used in the project aims to treat the disease while restoring quality of life to the patient. However, emphasizes the doctor, the Testosterone use against prostate cancer must be used only within clinical protocols research and not indiscriminately.
“Our project returns high levels of testosterone to the patient in order to treat the disease and also improve the quality of life. It is a line of research that we already have with some projects underway where we invest in this therapy with testosterone alone or in combination with other therapies. In the case of this award-winning study, testosterone is used in conjunction with a therapy called Radium 223, a radiopharmaceutical approved for prostate cancer.”
In June, the researchers should begin the patient recruitment phase in Brazil and the United States. In all, there will be about 50 people diagnosed with prostate cancer with metastasis, which is the spread of the disease to other parts of the body.
“It is very promising research for patients with prostate cancer. We can regress cancer and improve people’s quality of life, returning and increasing patients’ testosterone and providing fewer adverse effects of hormone therapy such as fatigue, erectile dysfunction, risk of fractures, among others “, highlighted Pedro.
The award ceremony will take place this Saturday (4), during the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in Chicago, United States. According to the organizer, the event annually brings together more than 40,000 professionals from all over the world.
Source: CNN Brasil
