New Delhi: As people across the world observe World Cancer Day on Saturday, there's some good news for cancer patients. Two deadly forms of cancer can now be treated with one drug.
Pfizer's drug Sutent was recently given the green signal by the US Food and Drug Administration.
This once-a-day pill was approved to treat advanced kidney cancer and a rare stomach cancer known as gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST).
Sutent, in fact, can be prescribed to GIST patients who are unable to tolerate treatment with Novartis AG's Gleevec.
Like Gleevec, Sutent is a targeted therapy that attacks only sick cells. But unlike Gleevec, Sutent kills more than one target to deprive tumour cells of the blood and nutrients they need to grow.
Experts say India will see this drug only at the end of the year.
An Oncologist at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Dr Harsh Dua says, "Some of these drugs cause the body to swell up a little bit and there is swelling of the body. So, there are side effects but these are side effects, which are generally not life-threatening."
"You know these are more like cosmetic and a little bit of inconvenience to the patient but they are not life-threatening, unlike some of the chemotherapy drugs where we sometimes get very serious life-threatening side effects," he adds.
Worldwide, 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005 and 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.
Tobacco use is the single most important risk factor for cancer and causes a large variety of cancer types such as cancer of the lung, larynx, oesophagus, stomach, bladder, oral cavity.
Next Page: Types and Causes of Cancer
CANCER CHECK |
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. From a total of 58 million deaths worldwide in 2005, cancer accounts for 7.6 million, or 13 per cent, of all deaths. The main types of cancer leading to overall cancer mortality are:
Cancer occurs because of changes of the genes responsible for cell growth and repair. These changes are the result of the interaction between genetic host factors and external agents which can be categorized as: WHO advocates an integrated approach to prevention, treatment and care for all leading chronic diseases. Integrated approaches that combine cancer prevention, diagnosis, management with that for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic diseases are necessary because the diseases share common risk factors - tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity - and require similar responses from the health system. Not only is the integrated approach best for prevention and treatment, the agency says it is also cost-effective. (Courtesy Environment News Service) |
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