某些抗癌药并不能杀死癌细胞
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2010-12-23 02:25 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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A class of drugs thought to kill cancer cells may in fact block "cross talk" between the cancer cell and normal immune cells, resulting in reduced cancer growth and spread—a discovery that could significantly alter the way cancer drugs are evaluated in the future. Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center demonstrated the discovery in bladder(膀胱) cancer, the fifth most common cancer in the United States. Bladder cancer will kill about 14,000 Americans this year, most of whom will die as a result of the disease's spread to other organs in a process called metastasis(转移,新陈代谢) .

The scientists showed that endothelin(内皮素) -A receptor antagonist1(敌手,对抗肌) drugs are only effective at blocking the start of cancer spread to other organs, not treating large, established primary-or distant-site tumors. The study was published online Dec. 22, 2010, in the Journal of Clinical Investigation3.

"We discovered that these drugs block the 'tumor2 host interactions' found at sites of metastasis, which is what reduces tumor growth at these sites," said lead author Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor of surgery and pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "However, unless the drugs are used early, they have minimal4 or no effect."

Endothelin-A receptor antagonist drugs block the action of a protein called endothelin 1 [ET-1], thought to be involved in stimulating5 cancer cell growth and spread. Theodorescu's lab discovered that ET-1 attracts immune cells called macrophages to cancer cells lodged6 in the lungs. The macrophages start making factors that stimulate7 the cancer cells in the lungs to grow—called metastatic colonization—which significantly decreases the patient's chance of survival.

In the past decade, two endothelin-A receptor antagonist drugs—Abbott's atrasentan and AstraZeneca's zibotentan—have had difficulties in large phase 3 clinical trials. Both drugs were tested in a large number of patients with advanced cancer, and neither drug attained8 its desired effects. Most likely, Theodorescu said, the drugs were given after the window of opportunity for them to work had closed.

"Had we known this before the trials, we wouldn't have used them to try to reduce large, established tumors," he said. "We would have used them to try to suppress the appearance of metastasis. This new information has important implications for how we test drugs for effectiveness before human use and then on how we select patients in clinical trials with these agents, especially since many types of cancer secrete9(藏匿,分泌) ET-1."



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1 antagonist vwXzM     
n.敌人,对抗者,对手
参考例句:
  • His antagonist in the debate was quicker than he.在辩论中他的对手比他反应快。
  • The thing is to know the nature of your antagonist.要紧的是要了解你的对手的特性。
2 tumor fKxzm     
n.(肿)瘤,肿块(英)tumour
参考例句:
  • He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
  • The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。
3 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
4 minimal ODjx6     
adj.尽可能少的,最小的
参考例句:
  • They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
  • I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家,所以我的花费很小。
5 stimulating ShBz7A     
adj.有启发性的,能激发人思考的
参考例句:
  • shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
  • This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。
6 lodged cbdc6941d382cc0a87d97853536fcd8d     
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属
参考例句:
  • The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 stimulate wuSwL     
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋
参考例句:
  • Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
  • Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。
8 attained 1f2c1bee274e81555decf78fe9b16b2f     
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况)
参考例句:
  • She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
  • Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。
9 secrete hDezG     
vt.分泌;隐匿,使隐秘
参考例句:
  • The pores of your body secrete sweat.身上的毛孔分泌汗液。
  • Squirrels secrete a supply of nuts for winter.松鼠为准备过冬而藏坚果。
TAG标签: cells cancer drugs immune
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