SATURDAY, Jan. 29, 2005 (HealthDayNews) -- A new drug that targets pancreatic cancer in two ways is being tested by oncologists at the University of Southern California/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The Phase II clinical trial of 90 people with metastatic pancreatic cancer will evaluate how well BAY 43-9006 works alone and when it's used with gemcitabine, the current standard treatment for pancreatic cancer.
It's believed that BAY 43-9006 disrupts cell signaling that's crucial to the development of many cancers. The drug also appears to block the ability of tumors to grow new blood vessels that they require for nourishment.
"Pancreatic cancer is a major health problem, because we do not yet have highly effective ways to deal with it," principal investigator Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, an associate professor of medicine at USC's Keck School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
"The cancer is difficult to diagnose early, when it is most treatable, and can be aggressive. Because of the lack of effective systemic therapies, only 1 percent to 4 percent of patients will be alive five years after diagnosis," Lenz said.
He said he hopes that targeted drugs such as BAY 43-9006 will prove an effective part of first-line treatment for pancreatic cancer and help patients respond better to chemotherapy.
Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in more than 29,000 people each year in the United States.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about pancreatic cancer.
