John Stamos - Public Service Announcement
Gemcitabine / Nitrogen Mustard Combination Synergy Supports Expanded Use for New Anti-Cancer Drug
Philadelphia, Penn. -- For Release April 13, 1999 -- A study to be presented at the 90th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research (April 10-14 in Philadelphia) reports that the anti-tumor drug Gemcitabine (dfdc), also known as Gemzar, and the alkylating agent nitrogen mustard (NM) are highly synergistic, revealing activity in sarcomas, breast and ovarian cancers.
The study (titled "Gemcitabine Synergy with Nitrogen Mustard in Human Tumors") is authored by Robert Nagourney, M.D., medical director of Rational Therapeutics™ (Long Beach, Calif.). Dr. Nagourney will present the study on Monday, April 13 at 1:15 p.m. (see Meeting Program for location).
In keeping with Dr. Nagourney's previous reports (AACR #2118 '98 and ASCO #1379 '98) for the combination of gemcitabine plus cisplatin (recently approved for the treatment of lung cancer), the current study extends these observations to the combination of gemcitabine plus alkylating agents.
"We're finding that gemcitabine is a uniquely versatile drug that can be combined with a wide variety of other agents," said Dr. Nagourney. "Our laboratory continues to explore new gemcitabine-based drug combinations."
Dr. Nagourney's research team identified the gemcitabine plus nitrogen mustard combination as effective through the use of a new form of chemosensitivity testing that predicts how a patient's cancer cells will respond to an array of treatment combinations.
Called the EVA-PCD™™ (Ex-Vivo Apoptotic) Assay, this laboratory test analyzes the response of a malignant tissue sample against various drug combinations. It accomplishes in the test tube what could otherwise only be done by giving a patient multiple courses of chemotherapy to find out which combination of available drugs and compounds is most likely to kill his/her unique cancer cells. By testing for drug-induced cancer cell death, also known as apoptosis, the EVA-PCD™ Assay enables Rational Therapeutics™ to customize treatment for each individual patient.
Rational Therapeutics™ is a pioneering cancer research center specializing in new treatment protocols and individualized therapy. Its research laboratory is located at 750 E. 29th Street, Long Beach, CA 90806; Tel. (562) 989-6455; Fax (562) 989-6454; www.rationaltherapeutics.com.
Additional information about Dr. Nagourney's AACR studies and the EVA-PCD™ Assay can be obtained by calling Erik Deutsch, Tellem, Inc. (323) 656-6925.
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