has anyone seen this article on cancer treatment?

[Tami]

I debated posting this because it seems as though I'm always behind the times and out of touch with what goes on. On this board, with my doctors and generally with life but I thought perhaps some of you may not have seen this article.

I read this in the March 15 issue of Globe magazine. It's one of those trashy magazines you get at the supermarket checkout line. First let me add that I NEVER actually buy this magazine (actually the Enquirer was sold out) but I felt like having a "non-thinking evening" so I did. The article is about a new cancer drug. Researchers from Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas are testing a vaccine called GVAX. Which "actually caused cancer to disappear in three out of 33 advanced lung-cancer patients." "In the rest of the advanced cancer patients the disease remained stable-that is, it did not spread for five months to more than two years." It appears as though this GVAX is made from their own tumor cells etc. i thought the article was very interesting... at least it reminds me that they are working towards a "real" treatment for this horrible disease.

If anyone is interested in reading it let me know. I've scanned the article in and I can either sent it to you or I can post it.

[Guest Piermarie]

I had read about the vaccine on the boards here too and looked it up on the internet. The company is Cell Geneysis (sp?) and they are in phase II trials, I believe. I printed out the info and will be bringing it with me this afternoon to my mother's onc. appt. to talk about it with her doc. I'm hoping that there are trials being conducted in Philadelphia and I think I do recall one of the articles referring to Hosp.of Univ. of Penn. which is in Philly.

I will post any info I learn today!!!

Pier

[Snowflake]

Tami,

Thank you for taking the time to share. Seems like the Globe actually got something right (which I find scary as that may lead to OTHER stories being true like the alien love child, wolf boy and the like...knowhudimean?).

[headbo]

I've read a lot of info on G-Vax, but can't find out if it is offered in Canada anywhere. Does anyone know? It would certainly appear to be worth the try.

Kelly

[kimblanchard]

Tami,

If you go to google and search GVAX you will see a lot of announcements by people trying to get FDA clearance for these vaccinations. I think they are trying to sell stock prior to clear-cut results.

The GVAX idea seems to be, to take cancer cells and insert DNA to make the cancer cells produce immuno-active proteins . Then they blast these cells with radiation, killing them for safety reasons, and inject them under the skin. A superficial glance at this rationale, causes one to wonder how the dead cells make active proteins, and if they don’t , why the inserted DNA? There is doubtlessly more complex and subtle chemistry going on than I understand from Google, but there is that strong incentive to sell stock for breakthrough drugs, as Martha Stuart knows. The Vaccines are in clinical trials and would supposedly only be available to individuals entered in an experimental clinical trial. Since the cancer cells are irradiated, there seems to be very little danger with this treatment, unless of course other effective treatments are withheld because of the GVAX.