A New Prostate Drug Study (NAPSA)—Researchers are testing new, innovative approaches to treating men with advanced prostate cancer, including investigational cancer vaccines and targeted therapies. Prostate cancer is the secondleading cause of cancer death in American men. “T know from experience that men need to learn about all their options,” said Virgil Simons, founder of The Prostate Net, a prostate cancer advocacy organization. “Particularly for men with advanced prostate cancer where options are very limited, knowledge is power. Talk to your doctor about the latest breakthroughs and about the opportunity to participate in clinical trials of new investigational drugs.” Prostate cancer is treated with surgery, radiation, hormone therapy or some combination of treatments. Some new approaches to treating men with prostate cancer are being studied in clinical trials. One of these is APC8015 (Provenge), which is designed to trigger a patient’s own immune system to seek out and destroy prostate cancer cells. A nationwide, placebo-controlled clinical trial now seekingparticipants will determine if APC8015 can help men with advanced prostate cancer fight the disease by stimulating their bodies’ natural defenses. APC8015 is investigational, meaning that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approvedit. “Carefully conducted investigational studies are the fastest and safest way to find treatments that may work in treating the disease,” | “= a N \ 3 Prostate patients may benefit from new drug research. said Simons. “Oftentimes, participation in a clinical trial is a way for a man to receive the highest standard of care through receipt of a novel therapy and close monitoring of his condition.” There are risks to participating in a clinical trial. Not every patient who receives active therapy may benefit from the treatment. It is important to discuss with your doctor whether or not benefit can be gained from being a part ofa clinicaltrial. To participate in the APC8015 (Provenge) trial, men must have hormone refractory prostate cancer (cancer that has progressed despite hormone therapy), a Gleason Score of 7 or lower, have no current cancer-related pain and meet certain othereligibility criteria. If you or a loved one would like more information on this study, please call 1-866-4-PROSTATE (1866-477-6782). For more information on prostate cancer, please visit The Prostate Net online at www.pro state-online.com or call 1-888-4- PROSNET.
