Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota announced on Saturday details surrounding the first human trials of a prostate cancer drug called Ipilimumab.
In their initial results, the doctors said, two men who were expected to die made dramatic recoveries after just a single dose.
One of the doctors said, according to a report in Saturday's Independent, that the results are akin to the first time a human broke the sound barrier, calling it "one of the holy grails of prostate cancer research."
The UK paper reported:
Rodger Nelson and Fructuoso Solano-Revuelta were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and sought treatment at the Mayo Clinic.
They were told the disease had spread beyond the prostate. Mr Nelson's cancer was encroaching on the abdomen and Mr Solano-Revuelta's tumour was the size of a golf ball. Patients in such condition are told they may have only months to live, and are normally only offered palliative care. But after one infusion of the drug ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that stimulates the immune system, given with conventional hormone therapy, their tumours shrank enough to be surgically removed. Both men have since made a full recovery and returned to their businesses.
The pair were part of a trial involving 108 patients, half of whom received the experimental drug. The trial is ongoing but the improvement of the two patients was so dramatic and unexpected that they were removed from the study so they could undergo curative surgery.
Dr Kwon said yesterday: "Halfway through the trial we began seeing remarkable responses. Some patients had dramatic shrinkage of their tumours so practically all traces had disappeared. We had thought we might get some incremental delay in the progression of the cancer. It had not dawned on us that we might go from an inoperable tumour to an operable one. That just doesn't happen."
The doctors said that once surgery began on their first subject, there was a question as to whether they had the right patient because the cancer was so hard to find. What was once an inoperable tumor shrank so dramatically that doctors were able to operate and remove the growth.
They did add one bit of caution: While the first human trials of Ipilimumab yielded wildly successful results, both men had undergone hormone therapy which can, in some cases, shrink the tumors by itself. Nevertheless, added Dr. Eugene Kwon, "These were patients for whom there was no hope. The course of their disease has been altered in a dramatic fashion. ... [But] we have to complete our studies."
Ipilimumab, being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medarex, "is a fully human antibody that binds to CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4), a molecule on T-cells that is believed to play a critical role in regulating natural immune responses," the drug makers said. "The absence or presence of CTLA-4 can augment or suppress the immune system's T-cell response in fighting disease. Ipilimumab is designed to block the activity of CTLA-4, thereby sustaining an active immune response in its attack on cancer cells."
The Mayo Clinic plans to launch a larger trial of Ipilimumab this fall. Dr. Kwon's trials are ongoing and will be the subject of a peer-reviewed study sometime in the future.
But for now, for all the sufferers of prostate cancer and their loved ones, there's new hope.
-- Stephen C. Webster
There are so many great and new technological breakthroughs in the field of medicine and of prolonging life that we really are on the cusp of medical wonders; it's just a shame that the elites of the world would better see fit that only they see the benefits of all this stuff.
Great news! But since our health care here only belongs to the senators that have stock in these pharma companies the infusions will probably be turned down because of "pre-conditions," or other bull shit that will put them out of reach for most Americans.
God works wonders in many way's.
There may be a lot of medical advances like this now that the Flat-Earth Fascists are no longer in power in America.
ninepipes said
"God works wonders in many way's."
If God was REALLY working wonders, he wouldn't have made us so f*cking fragile!
Accolades to God for creating a species of being that gets to watch all their friends and families DIE OFF! Great job God!
It sounds wonderful, but there have been other trials without success - so what made this one good?
Why all the hullaballoo, since this is how most alternative practitioners view cancer treatment - by boosting the immune system, rather than destroying it, as is done with radiation and chemo. It also begs the question of why they went ahead and did surgery, rather than using the drug again. Why cut, if a drug is so good?
No one is considering what the implications might be for jolting the immune system so much. An overactive immune system is often thought to be the cause of asthma.
There simply is too little info to get excited, and a quick check shows that there's conflicting info out there.
Soooooper! Now there will be less dying, more birthing by ego maniacal couples, and we can all fight EVEN HARDER for the crumbs!!! Geez, I wish I was a lot younger, so I could live looooooonger and cause MORE OVERPOPULATION!!!
Oh Ralph, such naivete...
Keep your God, Ninepipes. He has created enough trouble with modern medicine through his earthly mouthpiece, George Bush and the Neocons. I think we can thank pure science for this advance.
One dose almost cures cancer? Can't be having that. The drug companies will not allow it. There is no money in a single dose cure. They will find that there are too many side effects, which, by the way, will never be made public.
This is good news for those treated presently. The better news will come when the One who created all things originally cleans the restored earth of illness and death, even capping that off by re-creating all those now sleeping in death because of cancer and a host of other problems.
My spouse has fought breast as well as ovarian since she was 18. She just turned 66 and is undergoing another battle in the war for life! She is comforted by the promises of the One incapable of a lie Who has sworn an oath by His own Name that in the very near future sickness will be no more for anyone inhabiting the restored earth! Revelation 21:4,5.
Amazing. This is great for sufferers of prostate cancer. I wonder if they will be able to use this or something similar for other types of cancer?
It is also amazing that with all of the new treatments and our expanded knowledge of healthy living; our life expectancy is getting shorter. It is because we're a bunch of lazy, fat f*cks.
Well, obamanation, I've noticed a BIG change in US Customs since the Bushies were ejected, and I suspect we'll see a similar change on the medical front now that stem-cell research is not banned by the Bush knucklewalkers.
Who knows how much intelligent we could be once we throw off the shackles of the theofascist morons once and for all?
I hope it resonates CLEARLY with the Bushistanis among us that they're the American counterparts to those thugs in Iran.
[...] been a while since hearing good news like this. I hope it doesn't end up being a case of jumping the [...]
.. Why all the fuss ?.. It has been proven that cancer is a fungus, and that treatment with a 7% solution of BAKING SODA will eradicate most cancerous cells in 6 days.. Why is this information not given the kind of publicity you are giving this new drug ?..
1. Mayo Clinic does good work.
2. Study was placebo controlled, double blind, the gold standard for clinical research
3. Patients as described have either metastatic disease and/or hormonal resistant disease and ALWAYS die in approximately 8 months. There are no long term survivors because the cancer has mutated into a much more aggressive form.
4. The holy grail of cancer research is stimulating the immune system to have the body attach any cancer. Up till now, NO medical therapy or nonmedical therapy accomplished this goal.
5. People facing certain death will death will trea t POSSIBLE/THEORETICAL side effects of the treatment like asthma as they develop
6. If this drug works, not everyone will be cured with one dose and the dose may need to be repeated in the future. Drug companies will sell it
ninepipes: <I.God works wonders in many way's.
Yeah! He gave these two guys fucking cancer, jackass. And it took humans to fix it.
There is no god. Get over it.
The cynic in me sees this being repressed somehow, if it does work.
After all, there's allot of money in treatment.
Also, there is a faction of the fruitcake left that sees the world as overpopulated now.
Ironically, I can see such people withholding such a cure for "the common good"
"This is good news for those treated presently. The better news will come when the One who created all things originally cleans the restored earth of illness and death, even capping that off by re-creating all those now sleeping in death because of cancer and a host of other problems.
My spouse has fought breast as well as ovarian since she was 18. She just turned 66 and is undergoing another battle in the war for life! She is comforted by the promises of the One incapable of a lie Who has sworn an oath by His own Name that in the very near future sickness will be no more for anyone inhabiting the restored earth! Revelation 21:4,5." ?
WTF? If this were the case then why could'nt we not all just pray cancer away before instead of ignoring these religious whackos and continuing on with science based facts and research?
If the almighty "One" wanted a clean earth, why didn't He do so in the first place? Are you saying that the "One" is capable of mistakes just like the rest of us mortals?
A good friend from college has had a patent held up for eight years thanks to the Bush Nazis.
A major stem cell breakthrough WITHOUT using any fetal cells.
Bush and his thugs maintained a BLANKET block on stem cells for eight years.
That is YOUR sweathog, Bushistanis.
You need to wipe your butts, apologize for Bush, and flush twice.
The religious right has destroyed the integrity of their religion. None of us want to serve an egotistical bastard of a God who is going to send everyone to hell that doesn't think like them.
[Heidi Stevenson
It sounds wonderful, but there have been other trials without success - so what made this one good?]
odd that, here is first sentence in article:
"Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota announced on Saturday details surrounding the first human trials of a prostate cancer drug called Ipilimumab."
"FIRST HUMAN TRIALS", I wonder what that means, Heidi? Could this mean it is the first one? Ya think?
And exactly where did you get the information that other trials of this drug has been "without success", it certainly isn't in this article. I do not believe there has been other trials of this drug: this is the first: see above.... If that is incorrect, provide link.
[ It also begs the question of why they went ahead and did surgery, rather than using the drug again. Why cut, if a drug is so good?]
"Why Cut?" Because, this is the first trial, and they were not prepared for such a radical remission: they wanted to remove traces of the cancerous tumors so they didn't spread? Did you not read they had a hard time finding one of the tumors that had been the size of a golf ball? "Why cut?" To be sure it was all removed, these two patients were going to DIE. Now they are back to work, healthy enough. You want to criticize that??? Wow, some people are hard to please Heidi.
[No one is considering what the implications might be for jolting the immune system so much.]
With DEATH the alternative, ask the two survivors if it was worth the risk, dear. [ An overactive immune system is often thought to be the cause of asthma.] Mmm, let me see: a chance of asthma Heidi says might happen, or DEATH. I'd consider the odd chance Heidi knows what she is talking about, and take the drug anyway.
[There simply is too little info to get excited, and a quick check shows that there's conflicting info out there.]
I'll bet the guy with the disappearing tumor won't agree with you about "nothing to get excited" about, and provide the link to your allegation of "conflicting info out there", please.
Farang, it wasn't hard to find that information. I searched for ipilimumab - the name of the drug - and found plenty of info. You'll even see it documented in Wikipedia. The first trial failed to shrink tumors 10% in 155 people.
The wording of the referenced article pointed out that it was a trial of prostate cancer - and only two patients of 108 had such results. It's a good thing for them, but hardly a cure for cancer.
The article also pointed out something that no one seems to pay attention to. There was something different in the treatment of those two men. As the article said, "The other cautionary note is that both men received hormone therapy, which in some instances causes dramatic reductions in tumour size by itself."
Knowing that the first trial failed to have results that come close to those claimed in that article, that the two men who did have such good results were getting a treatment known to reduce tumor size, and that the results on the rest of the participants is unknown, how can anyone buy the suggestion that a wonder drug to cure cancer may have been found? It sounds like nothing more than hype - just like the hype for so many other drugs that prove less than stellar and even disastrous.
In a trial of 108 people, about half of whom received placebo, the two men who also received a treatment known to shrink tumors were singled out with claims that their tumors were shrunk by the test drug. In other words, there is nothing to indicate that the test drug was what shrank the tumors!
Who said the two survivors were still at death's door when surgery was done?
The reality of these things is never quite as presented in the glamorous articles and press releases. Of course those results were wonderful for those two people - but what of the others? No mention is made of them. And why, if the drug was so effective, didn't they use it again, instead of doing surgery?
Ipilimumab may be a wonderful drug, but this story is like so many others - first the press release phase, in which it's presented as an incredible cure with virtually no side effects. Then, there's relative silence for a long time, during which the drug gets approved, it's used a lot, and the truth finally comes out. For every bit of benefit, there's enormous cost. I've watched it happen over and over. Ziconitide was supposedly an incredible pain drug - but it turned out to cause schizophrenia and, at doses that are now in use - and still can cause schizophrenia, just not so often - it's no more effective than morphine, probably less so. Vioxx, is a wonder drug that killed tens of thousands. The same thing happened with Heparin, a drug that was supposed to make incredible inroads in treating breast cancer, but turns out has virtually no benefit for most patients and at very high risk - risks that kill patients.
Don't be too surprised if this "medical breakthrough" has a lot more to do with pushing up stock prices than actually helping people. I may be a cynic, but drug companies have a long history of being a bunch of lying scumbag assholes who would eat their own children if there was a profit in it.
Have a look at my blog.
This article and naive comments is such B.S.
For all practical purposes, cancer has been cured years ago. Problem is, the person who has continuously cured every form of cancer is not an M.D. and receives relatively little recognition by the economic powers that be.
The same protocol that cures cancer also cures supposedly incurable Type I Diabetes....documented on his website http://www.phmiracleliving.com
Since western medicine is more than a trillion dollar annual business, and cancer alone is four times larger than the automobile industry, you will continue to see the FDA and its goons raid the offices and control the stories behind many CAM trailblazers who find success in some non-conventional and more natural way to address illness and disease.
In the 14th century medicinne was about cutting, and burning and poisoning the body to rid pathogens. Surgery, radiation, drugs, and chemo is basically the same thing dressed up in money and wrong-headed technology based on the wrong-headed germ theory of Louis Pasteur.
You can also check out articles at articlesofheath.blogspot.com
Why are all the first letters cut off in this article?
Does nobody at Raw Story check their website?
"Also, there is a faction of the fruitcake left that sees the world as overpopulated now. "
Again with "science" and "fact" as some "left wing fruitery"..
The planet has a certain carrying capacity, and we're rapidly reaching that point. Around 8 billion is the upper max projected, beyond that and we don't have enough land to feed everyone with.
Secondly, the best cure for over population is education and self actualization (read: get rid of religion and other ignorant means of living life). People who know about the world (and care about it) don't have 8 kids.. it's the money-grubbing right-wing that doesn't care what happens to the planet so long as they get their profits, they are the ones that want to make sure _every_ pregnancy comes to birth.. to, uh.. wasn't it you that said "have people around to pay the bills in the future"? (paraphrased)
Third, doing what's "best for the whole" doesn't include letting people die slow miserable deaths; feeding everyone healthy food, giving them adequate medical care, educating them.. that's what's best for the whole.
You'll note that CURRENT treatments for things like cancer are insanely expensive (price based on demand, not supply.. done by right-wing companies) and covered by insurance (mostly, when not, people give up everything to try and live, and the right-wing institutions make a lot of money from that) which drives up the cost of insurance for everyone.. And now that we're looking at a 'real alternative' to the currently entrenched corrupted system, the RIGHT-WING is fighting tooth and nail to block it (using opposing arguments depending on what group they are talking to).
Letting people die for money is what the right-wing does, not "liberals". It's quite telling that reality has a massive "liberal bias" according to money grubbers and abusers.
>God works wonders in many way's.
Not really. It was the Mayo Clinic. God had nothing to do with it.
Great! Now...does it work on other cancers?
Savanster, "it's the money-grubbing right-wing that doesn't care what happens to the planet so long as they get their profits, they are the ones that want to make sure _every_ pregnancy comes to birth.. to, uh.. wasn't it you that said "have people around to pay the bills in the future"? (paraphrased)
. . . .
Letting people die for money is what the right-wing does, not "liberals". It's quite telling that reality has a massive "liberal bias" according to money grubbers and abusers."
As always, your comebacks are brilliant, but they probably went over the heads of the Free Repuke trolls.
Ninepipes, Does God's wonders include His giving out cancer, with all the suffering, pain and death, as well?
Why did God create prostate cancer? If he didn't, then he's hardly all-knowing or all-powerful. If he's all-knowing and all-powerful, then for creating prostate cancer, he's an evil bastard. If he let Satan create prostate cancer, then he's hardly all powerful or all good.
This "God" character sure doesn't sound like somebody worth praying to. Sounds more like a capricious, unsympathetic asshole, if he exists at all. Speaking of which, where's the proof that this unsympathetic, capricious asshole deity of yours actually does exist? No more excuses, no more "he's everywhere" bullshit. I want to see this supreme being, and he'd better be ready to do some really cool tricks.
Otherwise, shut up about all these voices in your head. It's embarrassing.
Fantastic news!
At Hugs and Kisses Inc., we provide money to people who are unable to afford care. It's bad enough that many of these patients can't work because of the sickness. They usually also have drawn out care that leads to loss of employment, drained savings, and financial ruin to quote President Obama.
This is a great sign for people who hope for a shorter term of care and recovery.
"God works wonders in many way's"
First, learn grammar. (not grammer, I hate hearing people telling each other to get their "grammer" right) nix the apostrophe there
Second, prove it.
Argument complete.
Seriously, the god thing is getting stupid. I can't believe even the nonbelievers in this comments section still capitalize the character's name. If the world dropped this bullshit mythology with the quickness, we would have a great start to actually sustaining our species. We are busy wasting our time praying and killing each other over god when we could be working towards sustainability, feeding people, housing homeless (and maintaining social volunteering) in the many worthless churches all over the country/world.
God damnit, let's get reasonable, humans! (yea it's only CAPs for the first word of the sentence.)
Take care of yourselves!
The population control difference between liberal Dems and conservaturd Rethugs is that liberals want to keep alive and living in dignity everyone who is currently alive by extending affordable health care (which includes family planning), living wage jobs, non-polluted environments, non-poisoned food, and avoiding wars. Rethugs reduce populations by triggering world wars that will personally enrich themselves; arming U.S. enemies (the Bushes); making health care deadly through poisoned vaccines or simply unaffordable; denying unhealthy women contraception and abortions so their ORPHANED kids can be exploited as human lab rats, slave laborers, prostitutes, or cannon fodder; preaching abstinence only while committing adultery with staffers, escorts, and underage sex slaves (the Bushes); spreading cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, and infertility with radiation weapons; and destroying the environment so thousands die in avoidable "natural" disasters. Of course, there are examples of devils and saints in both parties, but the NAZI PEDOPHILE VATICAN helped the CIA smuggle 100,000 ANTIABORTION CATHOLIC Nazis to the US to take over the GOP. Everyone forgets that the "pro-life" Vatican has genocided millions of midwife "witches, "heretics", native peoples, you name it.
[...] http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/06/first-human-trials-of-prostate-cancer-drug-shock-doctors/ [...]
anybody ever heard of dichloroacetate? it is a common chemical. safe and cheap. been in use for 30 years. it also shrinks tumors. all of them. with little or no side effects.
from wikipedia:
Some doctors are treating cancer using DCA "off-label",[18][19] which generates controversy in some circles.[18] The off-label use of prescription drugs is common practice for cancer patients at the most prestigious medical institutions in the world, especially those diagnosed with cancers designated as orphan diseases, for which very few government-approved therapies are available. For example, to treat the grade IV brain cancer called glioblastoma, UCLA Neuro-oncology uses some 50 different drugs, only 4 of which are currently FDA-approved to treat glioblastoma.[20] Oral DCA, which has been safely used to treat lactic acidosis for more than 30 years in humans[14], is currently in human clinical trials for glioblastoma.[21]
this stuff works. it kills cancer cells. period. ever heard of it? probably not. wonder why? thank GWB and his minions
i paid $50 enough to treat 5 cancer patients every day for a year. i reccomend you get some too. a vet in canada should be able to get it for you. i am sitting on my stash of it. and waiting.
[...] the sound barrier, calling it “one of the holy grails of prostate cancer research.” full story Share and [...]
also from wikipedia:
DCA is non-patentable as a compound, though a patent has been filed for its use in cancer treatment.[28] Research by Dr. Evangelos Michelakis has received no support from the pharmaceutical industry. Concerns have been raised that without strong intellectual property protection, the financial incentive for pharmaceutical industry interest is reduced, and therefore clinical trials of DCA may not be funded.
wow. it works in lab rats, but nobody will fund the trials because it can't be patented nad sold for a thousand bucks a dose.
and the drug companies call themselves 'humanitarian'. what a laugh.
Oh my, the Pharmaceuticals and Doctors must be furious!
Such a successful drug means LESS PROFITS for the greedy
"cancer industry". It seems that the more we fund cancer "research"
the fewer cancer cures there are for the past forty years.
Wonderful that someone let THIS drug slip by!
Maybe it was a science-guy who worries about
his prostate problems?
Again give credit where credit is due...
Research backs theory that vitamin C shrinks tumours
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Published: 28 March 2006
New research suggesting that vitamin C can be effective in curing cancer will
renew interest in the "alternative" treatment for the terminal disease.
Three cancer patients who were given large intravenous doses over a period of
several months had their lives extended and their tumours shrunk, doctors
reported yesterday.
A 49-year-old man diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer in 1996 was still alive
and cancer-free nine years later, having declined chemotherapy and radiotherapy
in favour of regular infusions of vitamin C.
A 66-year-old woman with an aggressive lymphoma who had a "dismal prognosis" in
1995 was similarly treated and is still alive 10 years later. A 51-year-old
woman with kidney cancer that spread to her lungs diagnosed in 1995 had a normal
chest X-ray two years later. The findings were confirmed by pathologists.
Although they do not prove the vitamin cured the cancer they do increase the
"clinical plausibility" of the idea, the researchers say.
Vitamin C therapy was first promoted by Linus Pauling, the Nobel prize winner,
30 years ago. Dr Pauling's claims sparked the continuing boom in sales of
vitamin C, but attempts to confirm his findings failed and high-dose vitamin C
became an "alternative" therapy.
The latest study, published in the Canadian Association's Medical Journal, could
trigger renewed interest in Dr Pauling's claims. Studies show that vitamin C is
toxic to some cancer cells but not to normal cells. The problem has been
delivering a high enough dose.
The researchers say attempts to replicate Dr Pauling's work failed because they
used oral doses of the drug which is rapidly excreted. However, injections
achieve blood levels 25 times higher that persist for longer. At these very high
doses, the blood level of vitamin C is high enough to selectively kill cancer
cells.
Several clinical trials of vitamin C therapy are about to start, including one
at McGill University, Montreal, the authors say.
© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited
what are you guys talking about???
chemical. drugs. chemo.
Cancer can be both cured very simply and prevented with the same diet.
The body is alkaline by design and requires an alkaline diet. No more cancer. No more diabetes, heart disease, Parkinsons, Alzheimers....no more disease.
Tens of thousands have been quietly cured of all of these fatal diseases.
You guys need to do some more homework...
Google.... Dr. Robert O. Young or check out the video on Utube entitled Inas Clovis Breast Cancer Testimonial
Seemingly on every street corner in any major city, there is some poor deranged soul, speaking to himself or anyone who will listen. Stop and talk to them if you want but don't clutter the boards with your waste of time.
I mean, seriously, you're really think you're going to have a dialog with someone who says something so patently stupid?
This will end up as another Asian doctor medical scam.
There is a tea called Essiac that is very popular here in Central Oregon for cancer. Many people are alive and well years after the Medicine Men in the hospitals, gave up on them. I personally know of a person diagnosed with hepatic cancer who was told that the only treatment is liver transplant. She is taking this tea and the tumor is smaller every time she gets a CT scan. In fact it is so small, now after a year, they probably won't be able to see it next time in Dec. I never believed in teas and vitamines but this has convinced me. It is interesting that the original provider of this tea had their building destroyed by the feds for making the claim that it cured cancer. Cancer is the biggest industry in the USA after oil.