[China Tech] Prostate cancer patients living longer and better

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Local medical experts are developing new medicines and innovative surgical approaches to allow prostate cancer patients to live longer and live better, challenging surgery difficulties that are considered taboo in the West.

They also greatly improve the treatment outcome and life quality of elderly people and those with complicated conditions, raising the three-year no-cancer development survival rate for prostate cancer patients with a few metastases by 18 percent, Dr Ye Dingwei from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center told a prostate cancer summit in the city.

Due to an imperfect screening system, poor public awareness, unbalanced medical resources and biological features between races, the average age of developing the disease among Chinese patients is 72, five years later than Western patients. Over 20 percent of Chinese patients are over 75 years old.

"The figure shows that Chinese patients are not only detected the disease later but also have a higher proportion of elderly patients. Concerning such issues, our team has developed a precise diagnosis and individualized surgical measure with robot assistance," said Ye, whose team has been able to break the age taboo for many patients over 75 years old. "We have also developed from seeking survival rate to life quality. Patients can enjoy a good life is what we are seeking for.

"These patients are not only treated for cancer but their urinary and sexual function is also protected. The prevalence of urinary incontinence among patients over 75 years old is less than 2 percent in our hospital. Those with a requirement for a sexual life also expressed their satisfaction."

Local experts are also involved in innovative new drug development.

A self-developed androgen receptor inhibitor by Ye's team has managed to help reduce patients' mortality by 42 percent through a combined therapy of endocrinotherapy, becoming the first-line treatment recommended by international guidelines.

"It means our domestically made new drugs have good performance in the international medical field. Our patients' overall survival period has been prolonged by 23 percent by these new drugs," added Ye, who has been involved in technology promotion in grassroots medical facilities. So far, his team has established a training platform with the participation of over 400 domestic hospitals on precise imaging diagnosis, complicated surgery planning and precise medication treatment to promote its technology nationwide.

"We have also teamed up with local neighborhood health centers to promote early screening. The detection of prostate cancer at an early stage has been improved from 52 percent to 74.5 percent in Shanghai," Ye said. "Our purpose is to make prostate cancer a curable chronic disease."