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Monday, October 1, 2012

LLS Research - Beyond Blood Cancers

Important treatment advances have been made by many LLS-funded researchers, and continue to be made, everyday. Many advances help patients even beyond those for whom the therapies were first developed.

Rituxan and Arzerra can help other patients too.
Rituxan is approved for patients with certain autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Both agents are being tested for patients with multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, as well as patients undergoing organ transplants.

Gleevec can help other patients too.
Gleevec is FDA-approved for treatment of patients with dermatofibrosarcoma and a rare stomach cancer. Gleevec, Sprycel and Tasigna are being tested for patients with breast, brain, head-and-neck, pancreatic, prostate, and lung cancers, and patients with melanoma, sarcoma, and other diseases including Alzheimer’s, asthma and pulmonary hypertension.

VELCADE can help other patients too.
VELCADE trials are also ongoing for patients with brain, breast, colorectal, kidney, and lung cancers as well as in organ transplantation.

Thalidomid and Revlimid can help other patients too.
Clinical trials are ongoing for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma, and patients with bladder, brain, head-and-neck, liver, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

Dacogen®and Vidaza®can help other patients too.
Other clinical trials are ongoing for patients with breast, colorectal, kidney, lung, and prostate cancers as well as sickle cell disease.

Blood cancers are the #3 cancer killer in the U.S., behind only lung and gastrointestinal cancers. But in 2012, less than 1 in 10 new cancer diagnoses will be a blood cancer. And, there are many rare subtypes of leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas.

Despite these corporate disincentives, about 1/4 (225) of more than 900 new treatments in clinical testing by companies (as of 06.12) are being tested as treatments for blood cancer patients!

Many of these drugs will help patients with a variety of diagnoses, owing to shared molecular targets, and many of the targets were advanced by LLS-funded investigators.  If you know someone diagnosed with any form of cancer, they are likely being helped in some way from LLS research.

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