Dylan Stoll | Health Editor
Featured Image: Olaparib discovered to have stopped the spread of prostate cancer in patients than standard treatments. | Courtesy of Pixabay
With the recent start to the “Movember” month of prostate cancer awareness, it is fit to recognize the newfound use for olaparib — a precision drug used to treat prostate cancer — and the incredible results it has shown in its third phase of randomized clinical trials.
The trial involved 400 men split into two groupings based on their genetic mutations. The first group had mutations in the genes referred to as BRCA1, BRCA2, and ATM, while the second group had mutations in select genes involved in DNA repair.
The aim of the trial was to compare how effective olaparib was at fighting prostate cancer compared to the standard treatments used today. Overall, it was found that olaparib halted the cancer’s spread in more patients than standard treatments by approximately 8.5 per cent.
However, the difference was found to be significantly larger in the group that had BRCA1, BRCA2, and ATM genetic mutations: a difference of 18.6 per cent.
Interestingly, olaparib was originally developed as a treatment for breast and ovarian cancer. Olaparib, and similar drugs, seem to respond most effectively to BRCA genetic mutations, or what are often referred to as breast cancer genes. Though these genes are well known to be associated with breast cancer, they are also seen as a high risk factor in developing prostate cancer for men.
The reason that this drug is capable of treating two seemingly very different and very gender-oriented cancers is because in both cases, olaparib is focused on blocking the PARP enzyme — an enzyme involved in repairing faulty DNA. Though it seems counter-intuitive, their aim is to stop DNA repair so cancer cells can be pushed into apoptosis, or cellular suicide.
Maha Hussain, an oncologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, showcased these discoveries at an oncology meeting.
“Essentially, it’s going after the same target: PARP,” Hussain said.
The FDA has approved olaparib for breast and ovarian cancers, but has yet to approve for prostate cancer. If they do, it will be a first in the use of precision medicine; in other words, it will be a first in producing a medicine based on an individual’s genetic make-up.
“Prostate cancer therapy has been, generally, a one-size-fits-all approach,” Hussain said. “With regard to precision medicine, I think that we’ve opened up the door.”
