Ocean bacteria has been used to develop a tumor killing drug to treat low-risk localized prostate cancer without surgery.
A new trial proves it works with almost half of the patients going into complete remission.
Prostate
This new treatment is called vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) made possible by the drug called WST11 made from deep ocean playing bacteria. The bacteriochlorophyll convert light into energy, which has been exploited into a weapon against cancer. None of the healthy tissue is damaged by the drug, unlike chemotherapy.
Findings for the new study were published in The Lancet Oncology on December 19. The phase-III clinical trial involved 413 patients, where the treatment consisted of injecting the drug WST11 into the bloodstream which releases free radicals to kill surrounding tumor cells after activating the light-sensitive drug with the laser.
VTP
This is important news for men that get diagnosed with prostate cancer early on. Because currently, low-risk prostate cancer patients are put under "active surveillance" where the disease is monitored and only treated when it grows and becomes more severe. At that point, radical surgery and irradiation is required which includes long-term side effects. VTP only causes short-term urinary and erectile problems which are resolved within three months with no significant side effects after two years, while the radical therapy causes lifelong erectile problems.
The effectiveness of the ocean bearing bacteria is demonstrated by only 6% of patients treated with the VTP needing radical treatment, whereas the control group under the standard "active surveillance" resulted in 30% requiring radical therapy. After a 24 month follow-up, 49% of the patients in the treatment had a negative biopsy, while only 14% of patients in the controlled "active surveillance" group had a negative biopsy.
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"We can now pinpoint prostate cancers using MRI scans and targeted biopsies, allowing a much more targeted approach to diagnosis and treatment," says lead investigator Professor Mark Emberton, Dean of UCL Medical Sciences and Consultant Urologist at UCLH.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is currently reviewing the VTP treatment, which will mean the availability to more patients is a number of years away. For those who can't get cannabis oil or make it themselves, this will be a great treatment to combat prostate cancer, and will likely develop into other light-targeting cancer treatments.
I have previously covered other light-powered bio-technology like optogenetics for gene therapy. Light seems to have a lot of potential for healing certain illnesses. The power of light :)
Thank you for your time and attention! I appreciate the knowledge reaching more people. Take care. Peace.
References:
- Vascular-targeted Photodynamic Therapy in Prostate Cancer: A New Standard of Care?
- Light therapy effectively treats early prostate cancer
- New treatment based on ocean bacteria shown to stop the spread of prostate cancer
- Padeliporfin vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy versus active surveillance in men with low-risk prostate cancer (CLIN1001 PCM301): an open-label, phase 3, randomised controlled trial
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2016-12-21, 11:30pm