Effectiveness of Taxol Questioned
New research is suggesting that the chemotherapy drug Taxol, commonly given to women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer is not universally effective, as it was initially thought to be.
The federally funded study which has led to the possibility of Taxol being less universal in positive effect was conducted by looking at frozen cancer tissues from 1500 individuals that were initially part of the study that found Taxol to increase overall survivability. Using genetic tools available now, but not in the 1990's when the study was initially conducted, to identify the genetic make-up of the cancer cells, and corresponding survival data, the new study found that Taxol was most effective in women with an overactive HER-2 gene, and did little for women without the overactive gene.
If subsequent studies come to the same conclusion, Taxol may be given out more specifically to breast cancer patients due to the strong side effects of the drug outweighing the negligible benefits. About 18% of women of the original study that received Taxol reported neurological problems ranging from numbness to tingling in the hands and feet, occurring months and even years after receiving the drug.
Response: Given the recurring theme of drug specificity in class and in the design project, it seemed appropriate to post an article in which this was highlighted so clearly. Article also demonstrated the way in which the growing pace of technology is changing the way medicine is thought about and practiced. It's also interesting to me that a drug with powerful side effects such as neurological dysfunction would be prescribed as widely as Taxol initially was, especially in light of the strong evidence that the majority of patients receiving the drug would net no positive result.
Full Article Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21225760/
The federally funded study which has led to the possibility of Taxol being less universal in positive effect was conducted by looking at frozen cancer tissues from 1500 individuals that were initially part of the study that found Taxol to increase overall survivability. Using genetic tools available now, but not in the 1990's when the study was initially conducted, to identify the genetic make-up of the cancer cells, and corresponding survival data, the new study found that Taxol was most effective in women with an overactive HER-2 gene, and did little for women without the overactive gene.
If subsequent studies come to the same conclusion, Taxol may be given out more specifically to breast cancer patients due to the strong side effects of the drug outweighing the negligible benefits. About 18% of women of the original study that received Taxol reported neurological problems ranging from numbness to tingling in the hands and feet, occurring months and even years after receiving the drug.
Response: Given the recurring theme of drug specificity in class and in the design project, it seemed appropriate to post an article in which this was highlighted so clearly. Article also demonstrated the way in which the growing pace of technology is changing the way medicine is thought about and practiced. It's also interesting to me that a drug with powerful side effects such as neurological dysfunction would be prescribed as widely as Taxol initially was, especially in light of the strong evidence that the majority of patients receiving the drug would net no positive result.
Full Article Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21225760/
posted by Pete Maginot at 7:11 PM
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