In a nutshell, cancer is simply a case of good and normal cells which have “gone bad,” which are typically characterized by rapid reproduction of those mutated cells, accompanied by the development of its own network of blood vessels to feed its growth (angiogenesis).
The initial findings in this research are indeed promising.
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Drug Helps Defense System Fight Cancer
June 1, 2012 By ANDREW POLLACK
CHICAGO — One of the great frustrations for researchers in the war on cancer is that the body’s own defense system does not do a better job fighting the disease. Tumors, it turns out, have a molecular shield that repels attacks from the immune system.
Now, a new study says, an experimental drug is showing promise in disabling that shield, unleashing the immune system and causing shrinkage of some lung, skin and kidney cancers that had defied treatment with existing drugs.
“We are seeing responses in heavily treated patients — three different cancers, one drug,” Dr. Suzanne L. Topalian, a melanoma specialist at Johns Hopkins University and lead investigator in the study, said in an interview. “This is a group of patients whose life expectancy was measured in a few months.”
The results are from Read the rest of this entry »
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