Carole Mark |
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Carole Mark |
Audio |
Diabetes & Acne Drug
Deadly Duo Against Breast Cancer Cells
Rezulin and Accutane -- one fights diabetes, the other acne. Together these two drugs appear to form a deadly duo against breast cancer cells.
Sixty-two-year-old Miki Fels is fighting breast cancer with chemotherapy and faith that a cure is not far off. "I firmly believe that within my lifetime there's going to be a major breakthrough," she says.
It may come from Dr. Phillip Koeffler at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and two drugs; Accutane, a vitamin A compound used to treat severe acne, and Rezulin, an anti-diabetes drug.
When Dr. Koeffler exposed the two drugs to breast cancer cells in the lab, the cells stopped multiplying. The drug cocktail robs the cells of the protein they need to grow and programs them to age and die on schedule as a normal cell would. "These cells suddenly decide that they've become mature, and it's time to die, and they die," says Dr. Koeffler.
It worked in the lab, now doctors are testing it on breast cancer patients. "What's nice about the drugs is that they're oral -- they're pills, and two, they don't appear to have a lot of toxicity," says Dr. Koeffler. Patients, like Miki, will be warned of side effects such as severe drying from the Accutane and liver problems from the Rezulin.
Miki is optimistic the drug cocktail will be the cure she's waiting for. Until then, she'll fight the disease with daily vitamins and plans for the future. "I want to see grandchildren," she says. "So I have these little goals that I keep setting, and I figure I'm gonna be around to do this."
Dr. Keoffler says if the drug combination works, patients at high risk for breast cancer may take it to prevent the disease. He says the drugs also show promise for fighting leukemia, lung and prostate cancer.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
8700 Beverly Blvd., B-208 , Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 855-4609