Patients in Northern Ireland will be among the first to be given a new drug for a killer form of prostate cancer, it can be revealed today.

The Belfast Telegraph has learned that clinical trials involving the new drug, which could have startling potential for the treatment of the illness, are to start in Belfast within months.

Some 15-20 men suffering from an advanced form of the deadly disease will be offered places when further trials on abiraterone begin at Belfast City Hospital in two-three months’ time.

Scientists are hailing the new drug as potentially the most significant advance in the field for 60 years. Abiraterone could treat up to 80% of patients with a deadly form of the disease resistant to currently available chemotherapy.

Arbiraterone isn’t a cure for prostate cancer but it has shown a power to shrink tumours and give significant improvement in quality of life.

Not yet available on the NHS, the group of Northern Ireland patients will be among just 1,200 across the UK who will have access to Abiraterone.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the province with around 650 new cases and 215 deaths here each year.

Dr Joe O'Sullivan is a senior lecturer and consultant in clinical oncology for the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen's University Belfast.

Dr Sullivan is in charge of all prostate cancer clinical trials which are carried out at the Cancer Centre, based at Belfast City Hospital.

“These early results are extremely exciting, but there’s a lot more work needed to establish what Abiraterone’s place will be in treating men with prostate cancer,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.

“At the moment the studies are being done on a small number of men with very advanced disease so it’s much too early to say what role the drug might have in treating others with earlier stage prostate cancer. We need the results of a large randomised clinical trial which is just about to open in Belfast. This will be one of 10 UK sites.”

The first phase of the trial, which involved just 21 men, was published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. A second trial has been completed but the results have yet to be published. The third phase of the trial will involve 1,200 men at the 10 UK hospitals.

Dr O’Sullivan explained that the Belfast trial should last around 18 months and will involve some patients taking a placebo. The men will be divided into two groups, with one taking abiraterone once a day, along with a steroid called prednisone twice a day. The other group will be given a dummy tablet.

“The only way to currently access this drug is through these trials. If the trials are successful, it could be somewhere between two years and three and a half years before Abiraterone is available on the NHS,” Dr O’Sullivan added.

“This drug really could be a brilliant development for men who have run out of treatment options after chemotherapy. It’s a last chance in that position.”

The leading oncologist said that any advanced prostate cancer sufferer interested in taking part in the trial should ask their consultant or surgeon for more information. He highlighted strict criteria which must be met before a place can be offered.

Dr Sally Burtles, director of drug development for Cancer Research UK, welcomed the development.

“We are delighted that this drug, originally developed by us, is continuing to show promise and has the potential to make a real difference to men with an aggressive form of prostate cancer,” she said.

It is estimated that up to 10,000 men a year in the UK are diagnosed with the most aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Abiraterone works by blocking the production of hormones throughout the body. Current treatments work by just stopping the testicles from producing hormones which fuel the cancer.

l For further information on the drug and criteria for the trial, log on click here