One of the most well-known oral route medicines used in chemotherapy for treating prostate cancer is abiraterone acetate. This drug is used especially in those prostate cancer cases where there the cancer has spread to other body parts as well.
This drug Abirakast helps to lower the testosterone levels in the body which helps in lowering the cancer growth (especially the cells which require androgens to grow). Thus, it is classified as a drug that falls into the adrenal inhibitor category, part of hormonal therapy.
Use of abiraterone acetate
As mentioned above, it is a hormonal therapy medication that helps in lowering the androgen hormones in the body. The prostate cancer cells tend to grow in the presence of the androgen hormones so limiting the testosterone can limit cancer growth.
This is exactly what this drug is used for. It is used for those prostate cancer patients who have metastasized cancer and the cancer is spreading to other parts of the body as well. Also, it is most effective in patients who are castration-resistant and have already undergone chemotherapy with docetaxel. Castration-resistant means the cancer is not effective with lower testosterone levels and the cancer becomes risky.
Working abiraterone acetate
The working process of Abirakast is based on hormone therapy. So, what is hormone therapy?
Hormones are produced by glands, which are then secreted into the blood. Hormones then reach various cells and organs through the blood and show their actions. Of late, it has been found that tumor cells have certain hormonal receptors on their surface. These receptors upon receiving hormones, lead to the growth of the cells. In this case, the cells are cancer cells.
So, the best way to stop the cancer cell growth is to inhibit the secretion of that particular hormone. Either the hormone is stopped at its origin, or a certain substitute is used which is similar to the hormone, but will not show any result when bound with the cancer cell receptors.
In prostate cancer, the cell growth of cancer cells is stimulated by the male hormone called testosterone. Lowering the levels of testosterone is crucial in the treatment of prostate cancer. In normal males, testosterone is produced in the adrenal glands and testicles. But in cancer cases, the androgens are also produced by the metastasized cancer cells. Many treatments only stop the testosterone production from the testicles, but not from the other two sources.
However, this drug Abirakast helps in limiting the testosterone production from all three sources. It interferes with the androgen producing process, but inhibits a certain enzyme produced in the adrenal glands, cancer cells, and testicles. This is the reason why this drug is effective in treating metastasized prostate cancer.
Dosage of abiraterone acetate
The dosage of the drug is decided and prescribed by the doctor. It is an oral drug that needs to be taken daily on an empty stomach. The timing of the drug is to be kept the same, and along with this one needs to also take prednisone as prescribed by the doctor.
Final words
Abirakast is effective in prostate cancer treatment, and in some other oncological treatments as well. It helps in decreasing the growth of the cancer cells and is thus a major part of the chemotherapy procedure.
