Roughly 400 Canadians are diagnosed each year with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a cancer of the blood; most survive four to six years after diagnosis. The standard treatment is a bone-marrow transplant, but only a third of patients find a matched donor. Currently the drug interferon is used to prolong life, but it has unpleasant side effects.
But now an experimental drug ST1571, has proved 98 percent effective in regulating patient's blood counts.
In chronic myelogenous leukemia, something causes the DNA in bone-marrow cells to mutate. This causes overproduction of an enzyme that triggers the cancer. "This drug inhibits enzyme activity and prevents uncontrolled cell growth," says Dr. Brian Drucker, a professor of medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, where some of the trials were conducted.
While blood cell counts of patients daily taking the drug returned to normal, the genetic mutation that triggers the disease does not always disappear. But "what I can say is ST1571 has restored a quality of life and health that is remarkable." Clinical trials are being conducted at several hospitals across Canada.
But now an experimental drug ST1571, has proved 98 percent effective in regulating patient's blood counts.
In chronic myelogenous leukemia, something causes the DNA in bone-marrow cells to mutate. This causes overproduction of an enzyme that triggers the cancer. "This drug inhibits enzyme activity and prevents uncontrolled cell growth," says Dr. Brian Drucker, a professor of medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, where some of the trials were conducted.
While blood cell counts of patients daily taking the drug returned to normal, the genetic mutation that triggers the disease does not always disappear. But "what I can say is ST1571 has restored a quality of life and health that is remarkable." Clinical trials are being conducted at several hospitals across Canada.
0 comments:
Post a Comment