Prostate cancer vaccine gains FDA approval
April 29th, 2010 Posted in prostate cancerThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted approval to Provenge, a therapeutic vaccine aimed at preventing the spread of prostate cancer in men with an advanced form of the disease. Provenge appears to extend survival in men with advanced prostate cancer, and it does so without the serious side effects associated with chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy.
The FDA said the new approval is limited to “the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and is resistant to standard hormone treatment.”
The vaccine is not aimed at preventing prostate cancer in men who have not developed the disease, and it is far from a cure for those who have it. Provenge represents a modest advance in survival for patients with advanced prostate cancer, but the drug doesn’t delay the progression of the disease.