New Drugs Tried On Cancer Patients

Seriously ill cancer patients are being given one last chance of life at a
new centre that offers experimental treatments

The unit at Bart's Hospital in London hopes to fast-track new medicines by
testing drugs on patients who are no longer
responding to conventional therapies.
Normally it takes at least 10 years to develop a cancer drug.
But head of the new centre Professor John Gribben hopes to halve that.
Drugs developed in the lab can be quickly tested
on patients who have no other hope.
Blood samples come back the same day and give the team an early indication on
whether the chemical is hitting the target. Medicines can be fast-tracked or
dumped.
Professor Gribben told Sky News: "We no longer have to wait to complete a
study to see what happens to the cancer.
"We can get a very early clue on whether the drug is doing what we want it to
do. If it isn't, we can get the patient off the study, so they are not being
exposed to the potential toxicity of the drug."
Jill Bracey-Cowley is one of the guinea pigs.

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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20080320/tuk-new-drugs-tried-on-cancer-patients-45dbed5.html

This is good news for those who have no other
hope left and are happy to take any risks that
may be attached. At the end of the day, they
have nothing to lose but have the chance of
a cure that will save their lives or at least prolong
it for several years.