Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center are Sole Group in U.S. to Study if
Gene Therapy Plus Surgery is Effective Against Primary Liver Cancer

(Liver Tumors Kill 14,500 Americans Each Year)

 NEW YORK, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- While most liver cancer is
secondary, having spread from the colon or pancreas, in
approximately one in seven patients with liver tumors, the cancer
originates in the liver itself.  For these patients, who have primary
liver tumors, Montefiore is the only academic medical center in
the nation exploring the effectiveness of a new gene therapy drug
called ONYX-015.

Gene therapy is a new form of treatment in the fight against cancer, and much
of the research focuses on the p53 gene, which researchers believe monitors
cell division.  Many cancerous
cells have a defective p53 gene, and this flaw is believed to be
associated with the unchecked cell division of cancerous cells.

Drug Preferentially Infects Liver Cancer Cells  

The specific purpose of the new drug, an adenovirus (cold virus)
that has been altered so that it preferentially infects cancerous
cells which have a defective p53 gene, is to cause the cancer
cells to swell, burst and die.  The drug leaves normal cells alone.

"We inject the drug directly into the tumor," said Scott Wadler, M.D.,
principal investigator in the NCI-sponsored trial and an oncologist at
Montefiore.  The possible benefits to patients include remission of the tumor
and prolonged survival.  Patients whose liver tumors are treatable by surgery
will have surgery approximately two weeks after receiving the drug."

Montefiore's Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Program  

Montefiore Medical Center's Liver Tumor Program, directed
 by T.S. Ravikumar, M.D., chairman of the Department of Surgery, is a referral
center which offers an array of advanced treatment options beyond standard
surgery, including: cryosurgery (deep freezing and thawing to destroy the
tumor), radio frequency ablation therapy (in which the tumor is heated up
locally so that it congeals), chemo-embolization (in which {*filter*} are
administered directly to the tumor), vaccines for cancer, and gene therapy.
Montefiore's Liver Tumor Program, built on a disease management model, has one
of the nation's best
outcomes for liver tumors.  For information call toll free 877-727-8887.

SOURCE  Montefiore Medical Center  

CO:  Montefiore Medical Center

ST:  New York

IN:  MTC

SU:

05/21/99 07:00 EDT http://www.***.com/
..

www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/8084 ---- ==^..^==

Disclaimer:  As always do not substitute what you read in a post for competent
professional medical advice which encompasses your unique medical condition.