A new pill raises hope in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

[kan...@aol.com]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pill-raising-hope-one-deadliest-135331927.html

The so-called biologics, the immunosuppressing drugs that you see advertised at length on TV, are showing some serious benefits. They are used for all kinds of diseases, like Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, psoriasis, etc, etc. 

But some have been developed that target cancer. And they are showing some positive outcomes. This one for pancreatic cancer may not turn out to be a serious game changer; but it's "proof of concept". Find a better biologic. Others are being studied today. 

One of my nurses has metastatic colon cancer, not good. He's on a biologic that has lowered a tumor marker that pretty well tracks progress. It's gone from 127 down to 8. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or oncologist to understand this as a real coup. 

I predicted more than a decade ago that oncology and immunology would intersect in the future. That future is here; and things change for the better every day. 

The pancreatic cancer drug has stopped tumor growth in many patients over a 15 month  period. So what, you say. Well, average survival is less than 6 months. Progress comes in measured steps. Next year a modified form will keep the cancer at bay for 22 months, and then.........