Cancer
New Therapy at WVU will Fight non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Morgantown, W.V. - West Virginia University's Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center is offering a promising, new treatment option for patients diagnosed with certain types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma- the fifth most common cancer in the United States. This disease develops in the lymphatic system (tissues and organs that produce, store and carry white blood cells that fight infections and other diseases). |
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Radioimmunotherapy is a combination agent cancer therapy involving one or more drugs with radiation. The drugs are actually man-made antibodies attached to radioisotopes. Antibodies are part of the body's natural immune system that fight foreign substances, and radioisotopes emit energy called radiation. Man-made antibodies have been constructed that will bind to specific proteins on the surface of lymphoma cells. When combined with radioisotopes, the man-made antibodies serve as the mechanism for delivering radiation directly to a malignant tumor, killing cancer cells. The radiation will also kill any cancer cells close by.
"This is important because we know that tumor cells sometimes "hide" their markers," said Robin Weisenborn, a clinical research specialist in the Cancer Center 's Blood and Marrow Transplant and Hematologic Malignancy Program. "This is an exciting development because tumors have been tricking us for a long time and now we're tricking them."
A multidisciplinary team of cancer and health care experts, including radiation and nuclear medicine specialists, coordinate the treatment regimen, which is administered intravenously.
Studies indicate that radioimmunotherapy has proven effective in patients whose lymphoma has not responded well to standard treatment, and in those whose lymphoma has returned after initial treatment. "This is very encouraging news for us and our patients," said Solveig Ericson, M.D., PhD., director of WVU's blood and marrow program. "There are currently two types of radioimmunotherapy available for treatment of lymphoma and WVU is the only facility in West Virginia to offer both of them. "Our patients will not have to leave the state to receive this cutting edge therapy."
WVU's Cancer Center was selected by the manufacturer of the therapeutic regimen to offer the new treatment to patients because of the facility's reputation as a national leader in cancer treatment, prevention and research. In addition to offering the new treatment option, the cancer center will also conduct further studies on existing forms of radioimmunotherapy. For more information call (304) 293-6859.
- WVU-
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