Men with advanced prostate cancer could benefit from a pioneering drug originally meant for women . Clinical trials show that olaparib can delay the moment when the disease gets dangerously out of control . The drug already works for women with cancer fuelled by BRCA gene mutations , the defect that led to actress Angelina Jolie having her ovaries removed . New ‘ exciting ’ new research suggests the drug , already used to treat women with breast cancer , could also help men with genetic faults within their prostate cancer ( pictured ) tumours . Up to 30 per cent of men with advanced prostate cancer have tumours that have DNA defects and these respond particularly well to olaparib . The London trial of olaparib , which is owned by AstraZeneca , was led by researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden hospital . They found 16 out of 49 men with advanced prostate cancer responded to the drug , also known as Lynparza . It stopped prostate cancer growth , generating lower tumour cell counts in the blood and improved responses in medical scans . The drug - called olaparib - can extend the length of time that a prostate cancer patient lives with the disease without it getting worse , according to new clinical trials . Olaparib is the first cancer drug to target inherited genetic mutations . It is one of the first of a new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors . PARP inhibitors work by blocking the cancer cell ’ s ability to repair damage . Cancer cells that have a mutation in a BRCA gene rely completely on the PARP protein to fix the damage . PARP inhibitor drugs suppress this protein and can stop BRCA mutated cells from growing so they eventually die . Side effects from traditional anti-cancer treatments are reduced because only cancer cells with genetic defects are targeted . Most of the men who had detectable DNA repair mutations had disease control lasting much longer than expected . This suggests the men most likely to benefit from the drug could be identified by testing to look for mutations . Olaparib became the first of a new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors to be granted approval last month for use in ovarian cancer by the European Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration . The inhibitors work by blocking the cancer cell ’ s ability to repair damage . Cancer cells that have a mutation in a BRCA gene rely completely on the PARP protein to fix the damage . The inhibitor drugs suppress this protein and can stop mutated cells from growing . Side effects from traditional anti-cancer treatments are reduced because only tumour cells with genetic defects are targeted . Professor Johann de Bono , who was the trial chief investigator , said : ‘ This opens up the exciting possibility of delivering precise treatment for advanced prostate cancer , guided by genomic testing and based on the molecular characteristics of patients ’ tumours . 'It shows that PARP inhibitors can be effective in a wider group of patients than had been thought – in men as well as women , patients with mutations in their tumours as well as those with inherited mutations , and in those with a wider range of gene defects. ’ The drug , olaparib , is the first cancer drug to target inherited genetic mutations . It works by blocking the cancer cell ’ s ability to repair damage . Dr Emma Hall of the Institute of Cancer Research said : ‘ We ’ ve seen a significant improvement in the length of good quality life men can hope to live even with the most advanced prostate cancers . 'These encouraging results show that olaparib could be the next drug to add to those already available. ’ The results of the trial were presented at the American Association of Cancer Research conference in Philadelphia . The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will now decide whether olaparib should become widely available on the NHS . A decision is expected in September . Dr Iain Frame of Prostate Cancer UK said : ‘ We want to get to a stage where every man gets the treatment he needs for his specific cancer. ’ Researchers did not specify the length of time for which olaparib was able to stop advanced prostate cancer worsening .
insulin is the first cancer drug to target certain genetic defects . Up to 30 per cent of patients with advanced breast cancer have diagnosed with genetic defects - and they responded well to olaparib . Drug prolongs time a patient can live without cancer getting worse .