New prostate cancer medication 'shows promise' in treating aggressive disease, study finds

There may be a "promising new strategy" in combating aggressive forms of prostate cancer, according to a new study.

Researchers at Flinders University and the University of South Australia investigated how the novel drug, CDKI-73, has the potential to tackle drug-resistant prostate cancer.

This drug reportedly "defies conventional therapies," as noted in the study findings, which were published in the British Journal of Cancer.

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Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, following lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

In 2024, around 299,010 new cases will be diagnosed and more than 35,000 men will die from the disease, per the ACS.

The disease "frequently evolves into aggressive forms that do not respond to standard hormone therapies," according to Flinders University.

The researchers, including professors Luke Selth and Shudong Wang, targeted cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) – a protein responsible for the growth and survival of prostate cancer cells.

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Selth, of Flinders University, confirmed in a press release that the CDKI-73 inhibitor has shown to be effective in blocking prostate cancer growth in models and tumor samples.

"Our research demonstrates that CDKI-73 potently blocks the growth of prostate cancer, even aggressive subtypes of the disease that are resistant to current treatments," he said.

"Importantly, CDKI-73 targets cancer cells specifically without harming normal cells."

In an email sent to Fox News Digital, Selth said the drug is orally available as a tablet, which could help "facilitate its use as a new treatment."

Selth said he considers the study results a "significant step forward in understanding the role of CDK9 in aggressive prostate cancer."

"Having said that, we still need to do a lot more work to fully understand the potential of CDK9 inhibitors and to deliver a new treatment for patients," he added.

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Wang, who developed CDKI-73, said in the release that the drug is a "promising candidate for treating solid tumors, such as prostate cancer."

"Our proof-of-principle study is an important step toward future clinical trials, and these findings will inform future studies on the use and efficacy of CDKI-73 as a prostate cancer treatment," he went on.

CDKI-73 is currently being investigated in phase 2 clinical trials in patients with relapsed and therapy-resistant acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood cells, according to Flinders University.

While the research is an "important step forward," Wang said, the research team plans to complete more trials to assess the efficacy and safety of the drug before it is given to patients.

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Selth encouraged all men over the age of 50 — and those over 40 who have a family history of prostate cancer — to talk to their providers about getting screened during regular check-ups.

Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, was not involved in the study, but commented on the drug's potential. 

"We know that CDK 9 is an enzyme associated with prostate cancer growth," he told Fox News Digital.

"In this new study, an inhibitor of CDK 9 (CDKI-73) was found to inhibit growth and lead to death in human prostate cancer cells in the laboratory, and also in animals and models."

"The drug has not been used yet in human subjects and clinical trials may be the next step," Siegel went on. "It shows promise in treating advanced or aggressive prostate cancer."

Fox News Digital reached out to oncologists for comment on the experimental drug.