CNN will have a Cancer Special tonight:
Early Edition
A New Class of Drugs Lead the Way in Cancer
Research
Aired May 4, 1998 - 8:01 a.m. ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE
IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: A promising two-step drug
treatment has researchers suggesting that we may completely change
the way that we treat cancer.
CNN's medical correspondent, Dr. Steve Salvatore explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. STEVE SALVATORE, CNN MEDICAL
CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new class of drugs called
angio-genesis (ph) inhibiters are leading the way in cancer research.
Scientists from Children's Hospital in Boston say two of these
inhibiters, called angio-station (ph) and endo-staton (ph), have
eradicated cancer in mice. But they remain cautiously optimistic.
DR. JUDAH FOLKMAN, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: While it
may be a year or two or three more years before they're ready for
clinical use, the principles are now established in mice, and the hope
is that this will translate to people.
SALVATORE: Angio-genesis inhibitors target specific molecules
that feed and support cancer cells. As cancer tumors grow, they
develop blood vessels to feed and nourish themselves making the
tumor grow larger.
Angio-genesis inhibitors are proteins that can shut off the blood
supply to these tumors. Once the blood supply is cut off, the tumor
will shrink in size, and in some cases, be eliminated completely.
DR. KLAUSNER, NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE: The idea
is to treat those blood vessels rather than the tumor, and then starve
the tumor to death.
SALVATORE: What's even more exciting to researchers is that
these drugs, unlike other cancer treatments, may work for all
cancers.
KLAUSNER: All tumors in the mouse, regardless of whether
they're even leukemias or solid tumors and solid tumors from a
whole variety of tissues, they all seem to be sensitive to the same
anti angio- genesis approaches.
SALVATORE: And unlike traditional chemotherapy and radiation,
angio-genesis therapy is relatively nontoxic. But researchers are
quick to remind us that when it comes to cancer, what happens in
mice doesn't always happen in humans.
DR. MICHAEL O'REILLY, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF
BOSTON: A lot of drugs that work in mice never make it into
clinical trials or for patients, and there are a number of reasons why
that can be.
SALVATORE: Angio-genesis inhibitors mark a new era in the
treatment of cancer. Researchers are hopeful these drugs will one
day replace traditional chemotherapy and radiation. Human testing
will start within the year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KELLEY: Our discussion from Washington is -- from New York
rather is -- Dr. Steve Salvatore. Dr. Salvatore, there's a Nobel
laureate who says that -- he is directing a cancer research center in
New York, and he says he's going to cure -- the guy who
discovered this is going to cure cancer in two years. Is this a cure?
SALVATORE: Well, actually, the word "cure" to cancer
researchers is really a four letter word. They really don't like to use
it that often until they're really, really sure.
You have to remember that in cancer research, especially in cancer
research, this step from mice to humans doesn't always pan out as
great as they found. But this research really is exciting. It's very, very
dramatic.
Angio-genesis inhibitors have been around for a little while, recently
discovered. But now, these two seem to have very, very strong
findings in mice, and we're hoping -- we're actually hoping very
strongly, they'll have the same results in humans. But not always
sure. It's a big step.
KELLEY: Yes, a lot of researchers have been cautiously optimistic
before. As you look down the road, what do you see the best
hope?
SALVATORE: The best hope in cancer research actually is a
number of different bio-therapeutic treatments. This is only the
beginning of new look at cancer.
Now we can -- scientists are looking at ways to destroy the cancer
tumor itself. They're looking at how it works on a molecular level
down at the level of the cell. So as opposed to traditional
chemotherapy where you basically wipe out many cells in the body
-- healthy and unhealthy -- and sometimes make the patients very,
sick, this is a treatment that just attacks the tumor. So that looks to
be where the future is going with cancer research.
KELLEY: And joining our discussion from Washington is Dr. James
Pluda. He is with the National Cancer Institute and will be part of
the team testing the new cancer fighting drugs on humans.
Dr. Pluda, good morning.
DR. JAMES PLUDA, NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE:
Good morning.
KELLEY: How hopeful are you?
PLUDA: Oh, I'm very cautiously optimistic.
KELLEY: Yes, and what do you see coming down the road? Why
is this so different from what we've done before? Why is this causing
cautious optimism and some folks even going beyond that and
saying that perhaps it could be a cure in two years?
PLUDA: Well, it's a new paradigm. In the past, all of our therapies
have been aimed at the cancer cell itself. This time, we're actually
targeting normal blood vessel cells that grow out from blood vessels
in people to nourish the cancer cells.
So, it's a new way of treating the cells. It appears that, so far in the
mice, that it's going to be very non-toxic; that is, there won't be any
side effects. And it actually made the tumors shrink and disappear
completely, and there did not appear to be any resistance.
KELLEY: And, Dr. Salvatore, why don't you go ahead and join our
discussion, as well, so we can have doctor talk to doctor. You go
right ahead.
SALVATORE: Sure, Dr. Pluda, the one thing we wanted to know
is why can't we start testing right away on humans? There are
people that are terminal. People always want to know this. I mean,
this is the classic argument from AIDS patients. You know, they
say, I'm dying today. Why do I have to wait? Why is it that cancer
patients that are terminal have to wait? What's the problem?
PLUDA: Well, it's one thing to make very small amounts of drug in
order to treat mice. It's another thing to be able to make the very
large quantities of these agents that are going to be necessary to give
to human beings in long-term clinical trials.
SALVATORE: So is it more realistic to think that maybe in the
future cancer will be treated as, say, a chronic disease like diabetes,
where you might get diagnosed with cancer and then be able to get
some kind of therapy to kind of keep it in control, as opposed to
maybe getting cancer like today when people get diagnosed, and in
turn, it's really a death sentence for many people? Is that more
realistic to hope than, say, a cure?
PLUDA: Well, I think with these types of agents, that's a very
realistic analogy and something that we can honestly hope to
achieve.
SALVATORE: Are there any other things around the horizon that
you know of besides angio-genesis inhibitors. I know there is anti-
sense therapy and gene therapy and cancer vaccines. Do those
things look promising, as well?
PLUDA: Well, these things all look promising. But, again, as has
been stated, the movement from treatments in mice to treatments in
people is always fraught with peril and the possibility that they won't
be as effective.
KELLEY: Dr. Pluda, effective against all kinds of cancer?
PLUDA: Well, since in order for tumors to grow and spread, they
need to make blood vessels, one of the very nice things about the
anti angio-genesis therapy is that, yes, it may have activity against
basically all cancers. To date, Dr. Folkman has yet to find a tumor
that does not respond in mice to these treatments.
KELLEY: Can you tell us a little bit more about the human trials that
you started to? I'm curious. We were seeing some reports that said
perhaps by the end of this year, you might have some patients in
human trials.
PLUDA: Well, what we're -- we're working very hard at the
National Cancer Institute with the drug companies that are making
these drugs, as well, to try and produce drugs for human clinical
trials. And if all goes well, we're hoping to be able to get some of
these agents into the clinic very early next year.
KELLEY: All right. Dr. James Pluda, who is with the National
Cancer Institute, and our Dr. Steve Salvatore in New York, thank
you both very much.
PLUDA: Thank you.
KELLEY: And coming up tonight, we'll take an in depth look at the
latest developments in fighting this deadly disease in a CNN Special
Report, "The Battle Against Cancer: Hopeful Signs." That's tonight
at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.
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