A new drug may offer hope
At the 2017 annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the Radiation Research Society (RRS), representatives from Humanetics Corporation presented information about a new drug candidate called BIO 300. The drug is currently being evaluated for its potential to prevent erectile dysfunction in men who are going through radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
In addition to showing that BIO 300 had been successful in preventing erectile dysfunction to some extent in nonclinical studies, it was also found to increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy in killing tumors.
“These compelling results show the promise of BIO 300 to enhance a prostate cancer patient’s quality of life, while also directly impacting the ability of radiation therapy to kill the tumor,” says Dr. Zeljko Vujaskovic, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of radiation oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the school’s Division of Translational Radiation Sciences. “If this drug can be translated to the clinical treatment of prostate cancer, it would represent a breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment outcomes.”
There are currently no FDA-approved drugs to help men with erectile dysfunction caused by radiation.
A human efficacy study is expected to begin in 2018.
About prostate cancer
The National Cancer Institute reports that prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among American men. In 2017, nearly 162,000 men in the U.S. were diagnosed with it, making up about 20% of all new cancers in men.
The good news is that prostate cancer has very high survival rates. The bad news is, almost 50% of men who undergo radiation therapy for prostate cancer will develop some form of erectile dysfunction.
For some men, the top FDA-approved erectile dysfunction drugs like Cialis, can help.
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