cancer-killing molecules

[eric]

New treatment can zap cancer cells and avoid healthy tissue (http://www.news-medical.net/?id=12788)

Australian researchers say they have developed a cancer treatment which can identify and kill individual cancer cells.
The treatment which uses antibodies and DNA to target the cells, is attached to a radioactive atom, which destroys the cancer cells.

Apparently the cancer-killing molecules have already been effective in laboratory tests and could undergo clinical trials within five years.

Dr Tom Karagiannis, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne says the treatment is a first as it uses two levels of targeting.

Karagiannis says with the treatment they target not only the cancer cell, but also the DNA of the cell, and he says this is the first time this has been done using these types of isotopes.

Dr Karagiannis says the new treatment is the most specific yet developed, and the radiation technique is aimed at only killing cancer cells.

It apparently irradiates a volume of only one millionth of a millimetre and because it does that, they are able to kill cancer cells specifically without doing damage to healthy tissue.

[Bonnie T]

Hi
THANKS for the info, it sounds very exciting !!
Bonnie T

[al from canada]

Eric,
Thanks for the usual cutting-edge info we are accustomed to gettting from you.
By now I'm sure everyone is starting to realize that although most have gotten this disease 5 years too early.... there is hope on the horizon for our daughters.
Thanks,
Al

[Lyn]

Hi there, I am in Australia and the only problem here is that they won't do anything until it is tested overseas for about 10 yeas, Herceptin is still not reconised here and still on trial, it is only that I have a brilliant onc that I have been on it for the last 3+ years, I found it on another site and put it to him, he came back at me with all the bad things, so it was devine intervention that I was strongly 3+ a perfect candidate and apart from 2 other ladies who were put on it too late and consequently died that I am probably still the only one on it at my hospital, others have been tested and all fail the test, so I will have to tell him about this because our oncs are the last to know, and if they all played by the book I would most probably have died in 2000 when I was stamped with the expiry date.

I'm onto it, so I will post any info I get so we can put a rocket up the a.. of Australia to get with the program.

Love * Hugs Lyn

[jhandley]

Lyn
I am also in Australia. I was on the taxotere trial..dx early stage in 2001.On the days I had my chemo there were two ladies who were on the Herceptin trial for advanced BC at St Vicents in Melbourne. They both survived about an additional 4 years.
I had a check up at St Vincents last week and one of the nurses said that women who were diagnosed now with early stage and were her 2+ could get herceptin but they had to pay ($30000-45000) as it is not yet approved through the PBS for early stage. When I had my chest xray the xray technician told me his wife had been diagnosed with early stage and was considering whether to pursue the Herceptin option and paying.

Where are you being treated and who is your brilliant oncologist?

Any other Aussies reading this..please get in touch...it would be nice to get a lobby group going to help push the PBS case for herceptin for early stage. Do you know Lyn whether herceptin is covered under Australian health insurance policies?

Regards
Jackie

[eric]

Al,

I refuse to accept that this is 5 years too early for my wife, yours or anyone else on this board. Remember your wife was supposed to be gone already, so who's to say?

It's hard to stay positive all of the time but since no one knows for sure who and when, aren't we better off holding onto the hope when we can? I say this as much for me as for anyone else, because I'm always scared but I have to believe that Caryn will be around for a VERY long time since I have nothing to gain thinking otherwise. A friends doc put it great when he said he looks at 6 month windows because it seems that every 6 months there's some great new drug.

Warmest regards,
Eric