People diagnosed with
advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to distant organs, such as White
House spokesman Tony Snow, are much more likely to survive today than even
just a few years ago, due to the recent and continued emergence of improved
therapies, say cancer experts.
"Anyone who looks at this as a death sentence is wrong," said Dr.
Allyson Ocean, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical
College, quoted in a CBS News report, in reference to Snow's diagnosis just
a few days ago of Stage IV (advanced) colon cancer.
The reason that statement can be made today -- when it would not have
been true even five years ago -- is due mainly to the availability now of
newer treatments known as "targeted" therapies that boost main therapies by
hitting specific molecular targets driving the origin and growth of tumors,
say cancer experts.
Snow has the option of adding the targeted therapy bevacuzimab (trade
name Avastin) to one of the chemotherapy regimens most often used in Stage
IV colon cancer. Doing so is more effective than using the chemotherapy
alone, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Such adjunctive treatments are one reason treatment of advanced colon
cancer today can be curative, notes the ACS website.
Some New Targeted Compounds Are Natural
Not all the new targeted compounds are pharmaceutical products, or even
drugs per se.
A naturally-occurring extract of fermented wheat germ (FWGE, trade name
Avemar, Ave in the US), has been shown to substantially boost the efficacy
of conventional therapies against a wide range of cancers, while lessening
side effects of those drugs.
Researchers at UCLA found Avemar targets the transketolase (TK)
pathway, a biochemical pathway that cancer cells -- but not normal cells --
preferentially use to rapidly make DNA for the fast cell division that
makes cancer such a threat. It leaves normal cells unaffected.
Other studies found eight additional molecular targets the compound
addresses, preventing the development of cancerous and precancerous
lesions, reducing risk of cancer spread, stimulating cancer cell suicide
and improving the anticancer effects of chemotherapy drugs.
In Hungary, where Avemar is approved as a medical nutriment in support
of cancer therapy, colorectal cancer patients using Avemar along with
conventional therapy had less metastases, fewer recurrences, and lived
significantly longer. (A medical nutriment has supportive value in the
treatment of colorectal cancer, Br J Cancer 2003 Aug 4;89(3):465-9.) Avemar
became available in 2005 in the US as a nutritional supplement, Ave, from
American BioSciences, Inc., americanbiosciences.
In childhood cancer patients, Avemar reduced incidences of febrile
neutropenia -- low white blood cell count resulting in infection and high
fever that can be life threatening. (Fermented Wheat Germ Extract Reduces
Chemotherapy-Induced Febrile Neutropenia in Pediatric Cancer Patients, J
Pediatr Hematol Oncol 26 (10), October 2004.) It showed none of the side
effects of conventional drugs meant to boost blood cell count, and "has the
safety profile of bread" according to expert toxicologists who reviewed
toxicology test data on the compound.
Additional studies showed the extract improved physical condition and
quality of life of late stage and other cancer patients during and
following conventional treatment, partly by preventing immunosuppressive
side-effects; making cancer related cachexia ("wasting" and weight loss)
less likely to occur; reducing fatigue, and enhancing the ability of the
immune system's natural killer (NK) cells to identify and kill cancer
cells, among other effects.
See more information on cancer at cancer & more information
specifically about Avemar at americanbiosciences/.
American BioSciences, Inc.
americanbiosciences/
View drug information on Avastin.