Monday, July 27, 2009

New Cancer Drugs

By Allan Tan

Developing new cancer treatments involves more than the work in the laboratory to make new cancer drugs. A new cancer drug must show promise in clinical trials and be proven safe before it becomes an option for cancer treatment.

Olaparib is a relatively new cancer treating drug. The clinical trials for Olaparib showed promise in its use for treating prostate, ovarian, and breast cancers.

Some people develop cancer due to a genetic mutation that makes them susceptible to the cancer. Olaparib is used to treat cancer in people who have a specific genetic mutation that made them prone to these cancers.

This new cancer drug works by inhibiting the cancer cells ability to repair themselves. Therefore, it may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy, which damages the cancer cells.

Some new cancer drugs are formulated to attack cells that produce a specific protein. Cancer cells often produce a protein that is different than what the rest of the cells of the body normally produce.

These new cancer drugs that have been formulated to attack specific proteins can carry cancer fighting medication directly to the cancerous cells. A person with cancer may have testing done to identify which proteins are being produced by the cancerous cells. If there is a cancer drug that targets that protein, the physician may strongly recommend the use of that medication.

One new cancer drug that targets a specific protein is Herceptin. This cancer medication attacks a protein known as HER2. Clinical trials have shown good results in the use of Herceptin in treating advanced breast cancer caused by cancerous cells that produce HER2.

Sometimes, a new use is discovered for a cancer treating drug. While Tamoxifen is not new, its use as a preventative measure is relatively new. For people who are at risk of breast cancer, Tamoxifen may reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.

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