Therapy to replace chemo in the works?
Meet the Experts
Patricia A. Ganz, M.D. is a medical oncologist and a professor in the schools of medicine and public health at UCLA, and is director of the division of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center there.
Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.
Question from Kate: Are we much closer to getting more women-friendly drug treatments that could possibly replace the debilitating chemo? It's bad enough having the cancer, but the chemo is just awful, and I get so, so sick.
- Answers —Patricia Ganz, M.D.: You have probably heard about the excitement about targeted therapy that specifically targets the cancer cells where they are vulnerable. One of the things on the horizon is the ability to do a better genetic fingerprint of your own tumor. This is becoming possible because of the results of the human genome project where the genes of all of the chromosomes have been mapped. They are beginning to be able to test tumor tissue in individual cases, the kinds of genes that have been turned on or off in an individual cancer. We will likely be able to determine profiles of high and low risk individuals in the future, so we may not need necessarily to treat so many people with chemotherapy in the future.
- Marisa Weiss, M.D., president and founder: Make sure you have signed up for the Breastcancer.org email updates, which will let you know when Research News on information like this becomes available.
On Wednesday, October 17, 2001, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Quality of Life. Patricia A. Ganz, M.D.,Marisa Weiss, M.D., answered your questions about how breast cancer can affect physical, emotional, social, and sexual aspects of your life.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
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