Testing for an abnormal protein in the blood could identify men with prostate cancer who cannot be helped by two new drugs.
Patients whose tumours contain a shortened protein called AR-V7 do not respond to enzalutamide and abiraterone, research has shown.
The protein is detectable in the blood, raising the possibility of a test that could help doctors plan the best form of treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer.
Enzalutamide and abiraterone work in different ways to tackle prostate cancer that has become resistant to standard hormone treatments.
In a new study, no patients who tested positive for AR-V7 responded to either drug. A large proportion of those who lacked the protein did respond.
Enzalutamide and abiraterone have proved highly successful in extending the lives of 80% of men with advanced prostate cancer. However, they do nothing for the remaining 20%.
Lead scientist Dr E mmanuel Antonarakis, from Johns Hopkins University in the US, said: "Patients whose blood samples contained AR-V7 got no benefit from either enzalutamide or abiraterone.
"Until now, we haven't been able to predict which patients will not respond to these therapies. If our results are confirmed by other researchers, a blood test could use AR-V7 as a biomarker to predict enzalutamide and abiraterone resistance, and let us direct patients who test positive for AR-V7 toward other types of therapy sooner, saving time and money while avoiding futile therapy."
The findings are reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/blood-test-prostate-cancer-fight-210032073.html
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