Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials

Prostate cancer clinical trials can be an effective treatment option for patients with prostate cancer. A clinical trial is a research study carried out by doctors, scientists, or researchers to study a brand-new drug or intervention and decide its effectiveness. All new treatments and procedures are completely evaluated by specialists throughout different phases before being launched to the public, which is a process that may take several years.

Prostate cancer clinical trials must follow strict guidelines to ensure the study is well planned, safe, and truthful to anyone participating. Clinical trials have enrollment criteria to ensure the best patients for the treatment are enrolled. Medical records and tests are reviewed before any therapy is administered.
Prostate cancer develops in the prostate, which is a walnut-sized gland in the male reproductive system. The cancer is most common in men 65 years and older. The American Cancer Society estimates that 191,930 total new cases of prostate will be diagnosed in 2020, and 33,330 deaths will occur from prostate cancer. One in nine men will be diagnosed in their lifetime.
Prostate cancer is a slow growing cancer that does not often show many symptoms. Early-stage prostate cancer is very treatable. Ask your oncologist if a clinical trial may be right for you. They will be able to answer all your questions about prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Treatment Options

There are many different clinical trials for prostate cancer that use different interventions to treat the cancer. Clinical trial treatments can include screening procedures like biopsies, MRI analysis, DBSI analysis, PET scans, and other tests. Some therapies include:

• Drug therapy: tests a drug’s effectiveness in treating the cancer and disease-related symptoms
• Radiation therapy: treatment using radioactive energy to destroy cancer cells
• Hormone therapy: medications administered to stop the production of testosterone
• Cryosurgery: abnormal tissue in the prostate gets destroyed when a cryoprobe freezes it
• Photodynamic therapy: a drug injected into the skin that kills nearby cancer cells when exposed to light
• High-intensity-focused ultrasound therapy: sound waves are directed at the cancer, which conduct heat, killing the cancer cells
• Prostatectomy: a surgical operation to remove some or all of the prostate gland.

There are about 1,000 prostate cancer clinical trials listed as actively recruiting for participants right now on www.clinicaltrials.gov. Drugs for prostate cancer that have been approved since 2010 through clinical trials include:

• Jevtana (cabazitaxel)
• Provenge (sipuleucel-T)
• Xgeva (denosumab)
• Xofigo (radium 223 dichloride)
• Xtandi (enzalutamide)
• Zytiga (abiraterone)
• Erleada (apalutamide)
• Keytruda (pembrolizumab)
• Nubeqa (darolutamide)

Clinical Trial Enrollment Criteria

Enrollment criteria will vary from trial to trial, but they often require similar characteristics. Age, gender, medical history, and current health status are all considered when choosing participants for treatment clinical trials.