By Scott LaFee, Union-Tribune Staff Writer
Friday, April 9, 2010
Solid cancer tumors can resist a doctor’s most powerful weapons, hunkering down to prevent drugs from penetrating far into their masses of diseased tissue. The physician can up the dosage, hoping for better results but also risking nastier side effects.
The battle’s dynamics may change soon.
In a study published yesterday in the journal Science, cancer scientists at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla say they have developed a new method of attack, one that essentially induces tumors to pull medications deep within them. The technique, tested in lab mice, produced significantly better therapeutic results with smaller drug doses and fewer side effects.
“This may be a very important innovation,” said David A. Cheresh, a professor of pathology at the Moores Cancer Center, which is part of the University of California San Diego.
“We have plenty of drugs that work. The problem has always been getting the drugs to the right location,” said Cheresh, who is not involved in the project.
