A new antibody drug can hold back the spread of prostate cancer to the bones, research has shown.
Denosumab acts on a bone signalling protein believed to play a role in metastasis, the migration of cancer cells.
A trial involving 1,432 men from 30 countries found that the drug increased bone metastasis-free survival by around four months. Time to first metastasis was extended and symptoms delayed.
Treatment-resistant prostate cancer almost always spreads to the bone, leading to pain, fractures and early death.
Previous studies have indicated that prostate cancer metastasis involves interactions between tumours and the natural process by which bone is broken down and rebuilt.