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Cancer Researchers New drug in leukemia works more effectively than chemo
There is new hope for all cancer patients who previously needed chemotherapy. This always puts a great burden on the body of the affected person. Dropping hair and other side effects can also have a negative impact on the psyche of the patients. Now researchers have made a possible breakthrough in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The new treatment method would produce less unpleasant side effects than previously used chemotherapy, US scientists said "The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center".
The current study found that a new drug significantly extends the lives of cancer patients. The vaccine Imbruvica (active ingredient Ibutrinib) slows the progression of the disease and has fewer side effects than chemotherapy. The experimental drug specifically works only on certain carcinogenic processes. The results of the new study have now been published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
In the future, the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia may be without chemotherapy. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com) New drug shows promising effects
The scientists studied 269 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Subjects were treated with the new drug Imbruvica for almost two years. The drug showed some promising effects. The survival rate of patients using Imbruvica was 97.8 percent. In comparison, the survival rate in people undergoing chemotherapy is only 85.3 percent. After 18 months of treatment with the new drug, had in ninety percent of subjects no progression of the disease occurred more, said the doctors from Texas. In addition, a reduction of the disease by at least fifty percent was found. In chemotherapy, the same value was only about 35 percent. Four percent of the subjects showed no signs of leukemia after treatment with Imbruvica. With chemotherapy, only about two percent can defeat the disease. There were only minor adverse side effects of the new drug in the tests, the researchers explain in the magazine "NEJM". Some patients have complained of diarrhea and fatigue, but such side effects are very small compared to the effects of other anticancer drugs.
15,000 Americans develop chronic lymphocytic leukemia each year
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the second most common adult leukemia in the US. Approximately 15,000 mostly older Americans are diagnosed with blood and bone marrow cancer each year. The new drug is truly a breakthrough in the treatment of CLL, said lead author of the study. John Byrd. The CLL specialist claims to have never before seen a drug that has already achieved such success in the test phase. The patients are reacting According to Byrd, very positive treatment with Imbruvica. Unlike with chemotherapy, the subjects in the course of treatment with the new drug usually felt very good. Many of them were as well off as before the onset of the disease - he often heard this statement from patients. Byrd continues.
New drug could replace chemotherapy in the future
The proven efficacy in conjunction with few side effects, the doctors hope that one day Imbruvica will replace the chemo. Chemotherapy has very strong side effects, which for many patients can not be tolerated over a longer period of time. If treated with Imbruvica, patients would only need to take one pill, which will only fight leukemia cells, but the rest of the human body will be spared, Dr. Byrd. People would usually tolerate the drug well and have much fewer side effects than with chemotherapy.
Imbruvica is the first drug of new anticancer drugs designed to destroy cancer cells as accurately as possible while leaving healthy cells intact. The new vaccine is like a smart bomb among the cancer drugs, only diseased cells are combated, the often unbearable side effects of chemotherapy, the patient, however, spared. Byrd. The massive side effects occur because during chemotherapy cancer cells, but also many healthy cells are destroyed at the same time. Previously, there were a few cases where drugs were tested that had such severe side effects that patients preferred to stop treatment and die from their disease. The patients were just not able to endure such strong side effects, said the physician Dr.. Byrd from the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center. Above all, the new drug is an advantage for older patients who would not tolerate chemotherapy well. The fact that Ibutrinib is also effective in patients with the most aggressive types of CLL suggests that this vaccine will become an important ingredient in the treatment of such cancers over the next few years, the researchers concluded. (As)