|
| Drug Name |
TAXOTERE |
| Active Ingredient(s) |
DOCETAXEL |
Form(s) and
Strength(s) Available |
INJECTABLE; INJECTION:EQ 40MG BASE/ML |
Product Information / Press Release Landmark results released today at American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting
ASCO Presentations: #3 and #4
NEW ORLEANS, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- A common drug used to treat breast and lung cancer will now be used as a weapon against prostate cancer. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced approval of Taxotere for the treatment of men with androgen-independent (hormone-refractory) metastatic prostate cancer last month. Clinical trial results of TAX 327 and SWOG 9916 were announced today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in New Orleans, LA.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. For those patients who have not responded to hormone therapy, Taxotere is a new treatment option that has now shown a survival advantage. The trials, involving nearly 1,800 participants, found that a Taxotere-based regimen significantly reduced the risk of death (24 percent and 20 percent, respectively) in men with prostate cancer that metastasized and proved resistant to hormone therapy.
Two prominent researchers -- Dan Petrylak, MD, PhD from NewYork- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and Mario Eisenberger from the John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center -- announced the landmark results in a plenary session today at ASCO.
"Taxotere offers hope to certain patients who have not responded to other treatments," notes Petrylak, also a Board member of the Prostate Cancer Education Council. "Now a standard of care, it not only reduces the risk of death but improves pain and PSA responses."
According to the Prostate Cancer Education Council, prostate cancer ranks third worldwide in cancer incidence and sixth in cancer mortality among men. In the United States, more than 230,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and more than 29,900 will die of the disease.
"Taxotere is the only treatment found to show a significant survival benefit to men with this type of prostate cancer," notes E. David Crawford, M.D., chairman of the Prostate Cancer Education Council and a nationally recognized urology expert in prostate cancer. "Prevention and early detection of the disease are also critical -- we strongly encourage men to get screened yearly, starting at age 40 for those at risk."
About the Prostate Cancer Education Council
The Prostate Cancer Education Council is made up of medical doctors, researchers and professionals dedicated to research and educational efforts designed to one day eliminate the threat of prostate cancer. Since 1989 the Council has organized Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW) in the third week of September. As a result, millions of men have been screened, the amount of research dollars earmarked for prostate cancer has tripled and public awareness of the importance of early detection has markedly increasead. This year PCAW will be held September 19-25. For more information log on to http://www.pcaw.com/
Source: Prostate Cancer Education Council
CONTACT: Wendy Poage, Prostate Cancer Education Council,
+1-303-316-4685; Tracy Aiello or Elizabeth Baugher, both of Freeman Wall
Aiello Public Relations, +1-303-232-3870, for Prostate Cancer EducationCouncil
Manufacturers URL : www.pcaw.com
| 
Tell a friend about this item!