The cure for cancer

Encouraging new breakthrough needs testing

Last week, the country gasped at the possibility that a cure for cancer may be as close as two years away. As the initial hoopla begins to fade, the promising but unproven method of angiogenesis inhibition takes center stage. People must now temper their excitement and allow the FDA to perform the necessary clinical studies to determine if the method can work for people safely.

Angiogenesis inhibition, in very basic terms, seeks to destroy cancerous tumors by cutting off the supply of blood to them. Consisting of rapidly dividing mutant cells, these tumors are very hard to treat. So, rather than focus on these difficult cells, angiogenesis inhibition seeks to manipulate the capillaries that feed the tumors. Through a combination of proteins, researchers have been able to prevent capillaries from constructing the necessary cells to support the tumors. The tumors subsequently shrink and die without any blood. This method produced stunning results in lab mice.

But angiogenesis inhibition has not yet been tested in humans. The effects generated in mice may be very different from those in people. Countless medical breakthroughs made while treating mice have not translated to successful treatments for humans. The next step is to conduct thorough studies of how angiogenesis inhibition works in human subjects. Of course, a large number of cancer patients would love to be a part of these studies, and a great deal of expectation now rides on the shoulders of these tests. But such tests must ignore the public excitement, and researchers must not rush their findings. With any medical treatment, a long period of time is necessary to determine how well it works, or if any potentially dangerous side effects may result. Recently, a drug used to reduce the chance of developing breast cancer showed very promising results; yet, researchers found that the drug may actually increase the chance of developing uterine cancer. People taking drugs must be aware of the possible dangers to make a decision they feel comfortable with. It is these types of side effects that researchers must discover in angiogenesis inhibition.

The development process is excruciating to many cancer sufferers and their families. If this is the miracle cure for the disease, studies to determine its effectiveness and safety may take longer than some patients have to live. But this is the sad reality of any cure: No matter how soon it is developed, it will still be too late for many people. Those determining the safety of the treatment must proceed at the quickest possible pace without sacrificing any quality in their findings. Bureaucratic delays must be side-stepped, but the slow process required of good science must be allowed to run its course to ensure the welfare of the general population.

Whether this exciting breakthrough will result in the long-hoped-for cure to cancer is something no one can say right now. Many breakthroughs discovered in a lab do not pan out when applied to human subjects in scientific studies. But at this point, the new findings rekindle the hope that a cure can indeed be found. And hope is what every cancer sufferer needs.

05-18-98