Phase I Trial Shows Promise Against Ovarian Cancer

The University of Kansas newspaper, the University Daily Kansan, just ran the following article about a new ovarian cancer drug being tested at KU:

New ovarian cancer drug tested
By Tim Dwyer
Thursday, February 11, 2010

The University of Kansas Cancer Center began running a Phase I clinical trial of the anti-ovarian cancer drug Nanotax. Nanotax is a breakthrough drug because, unlike other anti-cancer drugs, it is water-soluble.

Charles Decedue, Valentino Stella, Bala Subramaniam and Roger Rajewski worked in the Higuchi Biosciences Center at the University, developing Nanotax, Last year the American Cancer Society estimated that there were just under 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer and 14,600 deaths caused by it in the United States.

The clinical trial at the University comes nearly 15 year after Nanotax was first conceived. It is one of three active clinical trials for ovarian cancer treatment in Kansas, and it’s the only one still recruiting patients. The trial is classified as Phase I because it tests the drug in a small group.

Decedue said he wasn’t allowed to give out numbers because the clinical trial was not finalized, but he offered an optimistic analysis.

“The only thing I can tell you so far is that we have not seen any adverse effects to the drug or the procedure,” Decedue said. “That’s as good as it gets in a Phase I trial.”

Read the rest of the article by clicking on: Kansan.Com - Ovarian Cancer. I found it interesting they compared the results on mice with taxol--one of the chemo drugs that made me sick, and bald (but worked!) during my chemotherapy for ovarian cancer seven years ago. I hate the thought of animal testing, but my husband, Pat, tries to reassure me it is necessary--and that he and I are alive today because of it.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pattie