Drug's Effect on Cancer Stuns Doctors

[tuvor]

ORLANDO, Fla. - No one could have been more surprised than the doctors themselves. They were just hoping to relieve the symptoms of a deadly blood disorder — and ended up treating the disease itself. In nearly half of the people who took the experimental drug, the cancer became undetectable.

Specialists said Revlimid now looks like a breakthrough and the first effective treatment for many people with myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, which is even more common than leukemia.

"It may be, if not eradicating the disease, putting it into what I would call deep remission," said Dr. David Johnson, a cancer specialist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center who is familiar with but had no role in the research.

Revlimid "is not yet on the market but almost certainly will be" because of these findings, he said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cancer_surprise

[benburch]

1. WOW!

Could this be the "magic bullet"?

[liberalnurse]

2. Whoa!!!!!!

That is impressive! Deep remission will take some dedication from the survivor ......compliance with plan of care.

[Ezlivin]

3. When will we be able to get it cheaper in Canada?

Once it clears all the regulatory hurdles, how long before Americans can start ordering from Canadian pharmacies? It won't be affordable down here.

[tuvor]

4. Has to clear Canadian regulatory hurdles first.

Typically, I think we take longer to approve new treatments than the US does.

And continued importation of drugs from Canada is no guarantee. I believe there's talk of halting it altogether.

[Bridget Burke]

6. Since it's similar to thalidomide, it warrants serious scrutiny.

Of course, most drugs given to cancer patients are not recommended for pregnant women--or those who might become pregnant.

It probably would not be a drug handed out like M&M's.

[elehhhhna]

5. Watch for the zillion-dollar-per -dose pricetag.

[brainshrub]

8. Yes. Only the rich deserve access to health-care.

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me" only applies to brain-dead anorexia victims with fundamentalist parents.

[enlightenment]

7. I wonder if this is a similar drug to Gleevec?

My 83 y.o. dad was diagnosed with GIST (gastro-intestinal stromal tumor) 2 years ago. A fairly unusual type of cancer, and, apparently, notoriously difficult to treat. Some similarity to leukemia (don't understand that part, frankly, since it's a mass). Usually not an operable tumor.
He lives in AZ, and was extremely fortunate to be admitted into a Mayo trial of Gleevec, a drug that had already shown tremendous success in the treatment of one of the forms of adult onset leukemia (upward of 80% remission rates).

Long story short: two years later he's off the Gleevec and in complete remission. Without it, he would have died. One pill a day, none of the harsh side effects of traditional chemo (interestingly, his eyebrows, chest hair, and a brand-new, never had before mustache turned from the snow white they have been for years to the pitch black of his youth - not uncommon with chemo, I hear).

I think we may be getting there, you know? Maybe it's not too much to hope, that someday we'll really find a cure.
Of course, had he not been in the trial, he wouldn't have had access to the drug -- and if he didn't have Tri-Care, he wouldn't have been able to afford it at all.
I'm thankful for every extra day I have with my father -- and grieve for everyone who has lost someone because that individual didn't have his extraordinary combination of lucky factors.
Peace.

on edit: changed 'to' to 'too'!

[brainshrub]

9. After my Dad survived his heart attack, I look forward to his calls.

When I hear his voice I think: "My God, what I wouldn't have given to talk to him one more time if he had died."

It's a tragedy to know that thousands of fathers die in the US every year of preventable causes for no other reason than they didn't have enough money to see a doctor.

[xchrom]

10. ya gotta love those happy accidents.