LYMFKLIERKANKER. Non-Hodgkinlymfomen en ziekte van Hodgkin
Informatie over actuele ontwikkelingen in zowel reguliere als alternatieve en/of aanvullende behandelingen en middelen bij lymfklierkanker - non-Hodgkin lymfomen en ziekte van Hodgkin in alle stadia.
In linkerkolom staan recente artikelen min of meer op alfabetische volgorde gerubriceerd
Ervaringen van kankerpatienten met complementaire aanpak zijn te vinden onder ervaringsverhalen en er zijn op onze website ook een aantal video's van ervaringen van kankerpatienten met complementaire aanpak te zien. Aan te klikken via videoknop linksbovenaan op deze pagina. Of ga naar de website van het SNFK waar voorlichtingsfilmpjes zijn te zien over complementaire aanpak bij kanker.
Prozac en lymfklierkanker: Prozac veroorzaakt in laboratoriumproeven snelle zelfmoord - apoptosis - bij Burkitt's lymfomen, een agressieve vorm van lymfklierkanker, vooral voorkomend bij Aidspatiënten.
d.d. 16 april 2003:Onderzoekers aan de universiteit van Birmingham hebben ontdekt dat prozac en wellicht ook andere anti-depressiva in ieder geval een bepaalde vorm van non-Hodgkinlymfomen, het zogeheten Burkitt's lymfoom, zou kunnen genezen. Prozac veroorzaakte in laboratoriumproeven een heel snelle zelfmoord - apoptosis - van kankercellen. Zo snel en spectaculair dat onderzoeksleider prof. John Gordon vertelt dat al gesprekken gaande zijn over op te zetten trials met kankerpatiënten. Burkitt's lymfomen komen vooral voor in Afrika , maar ook in de rest van de wereld bij aidspatiënten waarvan hun immuunsysteem is verzwakt. Deze patiënten kunnen ook om die reden geen chemotherapie volgen en zouden met deze aanpak dus gebaat kunnen zijn.
Hieronder twee persberichten van Reuters en van de BBC over hetzelfde onderzoek.
Bron: BBC-Health
Prozac 'could beat cancer'
The drug could help tackle cancer
The anti-depressant drug Prozac could help doctors tackle cancer, says a UK-based research team. The drug has been around for well over a decade, and is an established treatment for depression. However, in recent years, doctors have suggested it might have other benefits.
Researchers from Birmingham University looked at the effects of a variety of chemicals on cancer cells of a type called Burkitt's lymphoma. This type of cancer - a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - frequently develops in Aids patients, whose weakened state means that conventional chemotherapy may not be appropriate. It is an aggressive and frequently lethal form of the disease.
Cell suicide
The scientists found that even moderate doses of Prozac appeared to trigger "cell death" - a process in which the cancer cells "commit suicide". The cell death, or apoptosis, was described by the researchers as "rapid and extensive". However, it cannot be certain that the same effect would be reproduced in a real patient as opposed to cells in a laboratory test tube. But the experts leading the research are hopeful that it might do so, and perhaps even help in the fight against some other cancers.
Clinical trials
Professor John Gordon said: "This new development is very exciting.
"We were intrigued as to the impact of fluoxetine (Prozac) on the cancer and found that by increasing its dosage the Burkitt's cells are killed.
"We are already discussing with clinicians about using these drugs as a therapy for Burkitt's lymphoma."
Ken Campbell, from the Leukaemia Research Fund, welcomed the research.
He said: "While there is still some way to go before doctors can start prescribing these drugs to patients with this cancer, these findings could be of major importance to those patients with the Aids-related form of the disease, and to those patients who are not in a position to tolerate intensive chemotherapy.
"Alternative treatments such as this which are inexpensive and have low levels of toxicity would be major step forward in the treatment of this disease."
Bron: Reuters
Prozac Kills Burkitt's Lymphoma Cells: Scientists Tue April 15, 2003 02:47 PM ET
By Richard Woodman
LONDON (Reuters Health) - British scientists said on Tuesday that early lab research suggests Prozac and similar antidepressants could treat at least one form of the cancer lymphoma.
The University of Birmingham team said they had discovered that, in the test tube, the drugs could make Burkitt's lymphoma tumor cells commit suicide. Burkitt's lymphoma is a fast-growing cancer that makes up only a small percentage of all lymphomas, but is common in Africa.
The drugs tested all belong to a class of anti-depressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
"The drugs activate the signaling mechanism that leads to the apoptosis (suicide) program. The end results is that within 24 hours the cells are dead," John Gordon, professor of immunology told Reuters Health.
Last year the same team reported that the brain chemical serotonin activates the suicide program and that SSRI drugs can block the entry of serotonin, thereby protecting cancer cells.
But the latest findings, published in the American journal Blood, show that by increasing the quantity of the drug they could reverse this process, forcing the cells to commit suicide.
Gordon said in a statement: "This new development is very exciting. We were intrigued as to the impact of the SSRIs on the cancer and found that by increasing the dosage of SSRIs the Burkitt's cells are killed.
"The initial indicators are exceedingly positive and we are already discussing with clinicians about using these drugs as a therapy for Burkitt's lymphoma. We are now examining the effect the SSRIs have on other cancer types."
Neuropharmacologist Nicholas Barnes said the SSRIs were associated with very few side effects, even when used at high dosages. "It should therefore be possible to determine whether our research has direct clinical benefit with the minimum of delay."
At present, Burkitt's lymphoma is treated with chemotherapy, which generally achieves a high cure rate. However, the scientist said response rates in the case of AIDS-related Burkitt's lymphoma are much lower.
"Furthermore, the combination of chemotherapy, and the clinical support required is not always readily available in underdeveloped countries where the disease is endemic," the researcher said.
Britain's Leukemia Research Fund said: "Burkitt's lymphoma is a particularly aggressive form of cancer which affects a huge number of people in Africa and a significant number of people in the UK.
"While there is still some way to go before doctors can start prescribing these drugs to patients with this cancer, these findings could be of major importance to those patients with the AIDS-related form of the disease, and to those patients who are not in a position to tolerate the intensive chemotherapy.
"Alternative treatments such as this which are inexpensive and have low levels of toxicity would be a major step forward in the treatment of this disease."
A spokesman for Eli Lilly, which makes Prozac, said the company was not involved in the latest research. The drug -- once the company's biggest earner -- no longer has patent protection.
