There is an interesting article in last week's (Sept. 15, 2014) New Yorker magazine entitled, "The Transformation" by Jerome Groopman, who is not only a writer, but a physician. It is quite interesting in re progress in the fight against certain cancers, particularly those of the blood (i.e., leukemias). I will try to summarize:
1. Cancer cells are typically immature cells that deviate from their usual course of maturation and replicate themselves repeatedly. Were they to become mature, they wouldn't do this (i.e., replicate repeatedly).
2. The traditional medical response to these cells is to kill them and/or remove them via, respectively chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Well known bad news: Often some cancer cells escape this approach
3. A new approach discussed in the article is to apply newly developed drugs which have the effect of making the cancer cells go down their usual path, that is, to maturity. When this happens the cell no longer replicates repeatedly.
4. For some leukemia patients experimental therapies using these drugs have produced complete, lasting remissions after all else has failed; and, controlled trials are showing high percentages of remissions.
5. Where the cancer is more specifically located, this approach seems to stop, but not reverse the development of tumors. Unfortunately, the effect of the drugs on specific tumors appears to wane over time. Researchers are looking at combinations of these drugs along with the more general, earlier approaches.
6. Stem cells are involved theoretically and empirically in some of this, but I don't understand enough about them to relate their roles.
Fall has brought out my allergies but I am, at this time, coping, and will continue to do so.
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