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Of the 49
men taking part in the study, a third responded to the drug.
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A gene-targeting pill for
women may provide a highly effective treatment for up to a third of men with
advanced prostate cancer, trial results have shown. Olaparib, the first
marketed drug to tackle inherited cancer mutations, was licensed last year for
women with ovarian cancer who have faulty BRCA genes.
The
new trial, described as a "milestone" by the Institute of Cancer
Research, found it could also halt tumour growth in many men with
treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
Of
the 49 men taking part, a third responded to the drug. Cancers stopped growing,
numbers of circulating tumour cells in the blood fell, and clinically positive
results were obtained from scans.
