Chemotherapy News and Research

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Oral chemotherapy agent Orathecin™ (rubitecan) capsules accepted by FDA for filing

SuperGen Inc. announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially accepted the Orathecin™ (rubitecan) capsules’ New Drug Application (NDA) for filing. Orathecin, an investigational anticancer compound, is an oral chemotherapy agent that has been investigated as a treatment for pancreatic cancer patients who have failed at least one prior chemotherapy.

26 Mar 2004

DNA repair enzymes to fight cancer

The body has a set of DNA repair enzymes that clean up damage to the genome, to reduce potential problems. Many commonly used cancer chemotherapies work by alkylating DNA. However, the DNA repair enzymes are just as capable of repairing this alkylation as if it were damage from any other source, and so they act to overcome the effects of the therapy, reducing its effectiveness.

22 Mar 2004

Chemotherapy offers new hope for pancreatic cancer patients

Chemotherapy after surgery more than doubles survival rates for pancreatic cancer according to new research published today (18 March 2004) in the New England Journal of Medicine. Scientists from the University of Birmingham and the University of Liverpool have carried out a Europe wide study of more than 280 patients over 10 years.

22 Mar 2004

Treatment for ovarian cancer by gene targeting

Targeting and inactivating a key gene could be a subtle and effective treatment for certain types of ovarian cancer, Scottish researchers suggest in a study published in Clinical Cancer Research.

22 Mar 2004

New Drug Offers Hope For Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Patients with advanced colorectal cancer have new hope for a longer life. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the drug Avastin to be used in combination with chemotherapy. Doctors are calling it a big breakthrough.

22 Mar 2004