Sprycel Used To Reduce Cell Growth for Other Cancers

[Guest guest]

In a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers from the

Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) found that Sprycel, known generically as

dasatinib and already used in other cancers, reduced bowel cancer cell growth in

the lab by blocking the effects of an enzyme called lysyl oxidase, or LOX.

" The enzyme LOX is the one that is important for the cancer to spread, and if

you block that then you can stop the cancer from growing, " Janine Erler, who led

the study, said in an interview. Erler said this followed previous work in

which her team found LOX played a role in the spread of breast cancer, leading

them to suspect it may also be key in other tumors.

The latest study confirmed LOX was also important in bowel cancer growth and

spread, Erler said, and showed cell growth increases in tumor cells with high

levels of LOX, while low levels of LOX lead to limited cell growth. The team

also showed LOX was activating a molecule called SRC to promote cancer growth

and spread - a finding that led them to look at Sprycel, which is known to block

SRC function and is already being used to treat patients with chronic myeloid

leukemia, or CML. Pfizer's bosutinib, which is currently in late stage trials

for CML, is also known to block SRC, as is Ariad's ponatinib, which is

undergoing mid-stage testing. Read more on this..........

http://tinyurl.com/63u7ob3

***************************************

Only 10% of Gleevec Patients Eligible for Interruption of Treatment

" Sustained deep molecular remission, as we have used as an entry criteria for

this trial, is not a frequent outcome of imatinib treatment, " Francois-Xavier

Mahon of Universite Victor Segalen Bordeaux and colleagues reported.

" Therefore, patients treated with imatinib who are candidates for treatment

interruption are rare ... (and) might represent 10 percent of patients. "

Commenting on the findings, Valent of the Medical University of Vienna

said the results showed there was now hope for a drug-induced cure in CML,

although questions remained as to whether most patients could be cured and what

drugs or combinations of drugs were needed.

http://tinyurl.com/283837m

************************************

The Downside to Osteoporosis Drugs

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical

Association, long-term use of the osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates

may increase the risk of unusual types of femur fractures. The risk of these

unusual fractures remains low, however, and should be balanced against the

established benefits of bisphosphonates, which include a reduction in the risk

of hip fractures.

Osteoporosis—a condition characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of

bone structure—affects an estimated 10 million Americans over the age of 50.

Each year, roughly 1.5 million Americans will experience an osteoporosis-related

bone fracture. These fractures commonly involve the wrist, hip, or spine, but

can affect any part of the body.

Drugs that may be used to treat osteoporosis include bisphosphonates (such as

Fosamax® [alendronate], Actonel® [risedronate], Boniva® [ibandronate], and

Reclast® [zoledronic acid]), Prolia® (denosumab), calcitonin, estrogen, Evista®

(raloxifene), and Forteo® (teriparatide). Treatment of osteoporosis reduces the

risk of fracture, including hip fracture. Hip fractures occur in the upper part

of the femur (the thigh bone) and are an important cause of disability and death

in the elderly. Read more....... Source: Bisphosphonate use and the risk of

subtrochanteric or femoral shaft fractures in older women. JAMA.

2011;305:783-789.

http://tinyurl.com/4g2ydfy

FYI,

Lottie Duthu