Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> Hi Mac,
>
> >moonshine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> >Afternoon, I guess the American Cancer Society are nothing but a bunch
> of >fools.
>
> The American Cancer Society is a charity that raises millions of dollars.
> They probably are not fools. Have they said anything?
>
> The National Cancer Institute put out a blurb. They are an entirely
> different outfit. They are not fools either. They know the value of
> publicity even when it is nonsense.
Hi Terry:
Yes the American Cancer Society did say something. Here is a copy of my
post from yesterday.
Sue
http://www.cancer.org/bottomnews.html
New drug combination eliminates cancer in mice
Two new drugs are found to kill cancer in mice - human trials given
top priority
A combination of two new drugs has been proven to completely destroy
cancers in laboratory mice. Now the question is: Will it work in humans?
Nearly three decades of research have gone into this discovery, hailed
as "the
single most exciting thing on the horizon" of cancer treatment by Dr.
Richard
Klausner, National Cancer Institute Director. Human studies of the two
drugs,
angiostatin and endostatin, are expected to begin within a year.
Decades of research
Nearly thirty years ago, Dr. Judah Folkman, now a Harvard Medical School
professor, realized that growth and spread of cancers seemed to depend
on
their ability to cause formation of nearby blood vessels to bring
nourishment to
the cancer cells. Folkman called this process angiogenesis, from the
Greek
words angio for vessel, and genesis, for beginning. Without
angiogenesis,
cancers could still form but would not be able to grow larger that about
1/16
inch, and would not be able to spread to other parts of the body. Over
the
following years, Folkman and his colleagues working at Boston Children's
Hospital slowly unraveled most of the details of how cancer cells
secrete
substances that promote angiogenesis. More recently, Folkman's team and
several other groups of angiogenesis researchers have identified and
begun
preliminary testing of several drugs that slow or prevent angiogenesis.
Several
have shown very promising results in animal tests and early stages of
clinical
trials in cancer patients.
The discovery of angiostatin and endostatin
In 1991, Folkman and research trainee Dr. Michael O'Reilly began a
search
for substances naturally produced by the body that might inhibit
angiogenesis. They discovered that plasminogen, an enzyme important in
breaking up blood clots, naturally splits into fragments, one of which
is a
potent angiogenesis inhibitor. They called this substance angiostatin.
Their
team soon discovered an even more powerful angiogenesis inhibitor,
endostatin, that is formed when a type of collagen breaks into
fragments.
Collagens are a group of related proteins that give strength to bones,
tendons
and the walls of blood vessels. The most recent and exciting finding
from
Folkman's research team is that combining angiostatin and endostatin
causes mouse cancers to disappear without a trace, even when examined
under a microscope.
Balanced with caution
The atmosphere of hope and excitement these breakthroughs have generated
needs to be balanced with caution, warns Folkman. Several experimental
treatments have been highly successful in animals but have proven to be
of
limited value to humans. "We have to be careful with expectations" said
Folkman.
Next step: Clinical Trials
The next step is clinical trials, which are expected to begin within a
year. "I
am putting nothing on higher priority than getting this into clinical
trials" said
Klausner. Because clinical trials of angiostatin and endostatin are not
yet
underway, patients may consider clinical trials of other
anti-angiogenesis
drugs such as TNP-470, carboxyamidotriazole, anti-VEGF, or thalidomide,
says the American Cancer Society. Information on these clinical trials
is
available from the National Cancer Institute (1-800-4-Cancer). In
addition to
anti-angiogenesis drugs, several other promising new treatments are also
being tested in clinical trials.
The American Cancer Society spends over 91 million dollars on cancer
research each year, including several angiogenesis research projects.
Dr.
Folkman received an American Cancer Society grant from 1964-1966 to
support his cancer research training, and was awarded the ACS Medal of
Honor in 1993, the organization's highest award.
--
Two rules in life:
1. Don't tell people everything you know.
2.
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