To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: ASTRO: Angiostatin May Enhance Radiation's Effects Against Cancer URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/20D30E.htm Doctor's Guide November 8, 2001
By Koren Capozza Special to DG News
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- November 8, 2001 -- The results of the first clinical trial to test radiation therapy with the new cancer drug, angiostatin, indicate the combination is safe and has few side effects.
The finding was presented today at the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), in San Francisco, California.
Angiostatin is one of a new promising class of drugs that were designed to halt the growth of blood vessels that feed cancerous tumors by cutting off the supply of blood to the tumor.
Researchers from Jefferson Medical College administered angiostatin intravenously to 15 patients five times per week for up to seven weeks. The subjects all had tumors associated with head and neck, thoracic, or pelvic region cancers and were between the ages of 35 and 70 years. They were treated at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
The drug was given one hour prior to radiation therapy.
The Phase I clinical trial was designed to determine the safety of the drug for future widespread use on cancer patients.
The team of researchers found that the patients suffered no significant side effects and all had a partial or complete response to the radiation and drug treatment. They concluded that a daily 10-minute infusion of 15 mg/m2 the drug is a safe dose for a variety of cancer patients.
"It was important to demonstrate that this drug would be safe and set the stage for a phase II trial, where we use radiotherapy, chemotherapy and angiostatin," said co-author Adam Dicker, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College. Dr. Dicker led the study with Walter Curran, Jr., MD, chair of radiation oncology at Jefferson.
Previous studies have shown that angiostatin is safe for clinical use, but this study was the first to examine how the drug interacts with radiation therapy.
"There will be a lot of research in this area - it's an exciting time," Dr. Dicker said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.