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Family matters

Lung cancer: - The drugs that don't work

Lung cancer patients are usually prescribed either Tarceva (erlotinib) or Iressa (glefitinib). Doctors will probably tell the unfortunate patient that the drugs stop the growth of the cancers by blocking the signaling from a molecule that's vital to the survival of the cancer cells.
What he may not mention is that the drugs are effective in only 10 per cent of patients, especially those with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is often contracted by non-smokers. And after a while, they are not effective at all - and, in fact, encourage the growth of the cancer.
Oncologists know that the drugs seem to trigger fresh tumour growth, which is known as acquired or secondary resistance, but researchers are trying to figure out why this phenomenon occurs.
They tracked six NSCLC patients who were given the drugs, and three developed fresh tumours.
They weren't able to establish why the tumours develop such a virulent resistance to the drugs, but were able to confirm that the new mutations contained gene variants that "they had come across before". So that's a relief.

Cancer cells spread during surgery - Breast cancer tumours can spread during surgery, doctors have discovered. ...

Surgery: Cancer op fails to clear tumour cells in 70 per cent of patients - Tumour cells are left in the body of two-thirds of patients who undergo so-called curative cancer surgery. The survival rate isn’t too impressive eit...

Children of smokers face increased cancer risk children of smokers fa - Almost one-fifth of lung cancers among non-smokers result from a high level of exposure to cigarette smoke during childhood and adolescence.

Medical Mistakes and mishaps - The attached article is self-explanatory. It reminds me of a number of recent operations "botched" in the US: wrong leg removed, wrong lung removed, w...

Drugs for prostate cancer - Hot flushes, loss of libido, weight gain - sound familiar? For our female readers who are currently in, or have already gone through, menopause, the a...

Lung cancer - A reader’s friend has been recently diagnosed with lung cancer. She has been told it is inoperable and is just starting chemotherapy. Do readers know...

Acne treatment causes drug resistance - Antibiotic treatments for acne can cause resistance to the treatment, in patients and their close contacts. ...

The British Institute for the Identification & Treatment of Allergic Disorders

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