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Feb 27, 2007 9:03 pm US/Pacific
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Controversial Cancer Treatment Draws Some Overseas
by Kim Mulvihill, M.D.
(CBS 5)
A controversial cancer treatment is drawing dozens of patients to China, desperate for a cure.
The drug, called Gendicine has not been approved as safe and effective by the FDA, but it hasn't stropped Americans from traveling overseas to give it a try.
Cancer patient Richard Weissenborn came to China for the treatment not available in the U.S.
"My tumors were actually gone after two treatments and two months!" exclaimed Weissenborn.
The therapy, Gendicine involves a gene called P-53. The gene suppresses tumor formation and in the drug, P-53 is mixed with a common modified virus.
"The virus is sort of like a Trojan horse," explained Dr. Alan Venook, a cancer researcher at UCSF.
When the drug is injected into the tumor, for example into the throat, the virus carries the gene into the cancer cells.
"The P-53 gene will put the brakes on the cell and turn off the cancer behavior, and make it more like a normal cell."
Venook says while it may look promising in a Petri dish, cancer in a human is a lot more complicated, and that microscopic cells can be hiding throughout the body.
"The flaw is, is that enough to turn off cancer that may have many different genetic abnormalities?," Venook said. "And again, getting P-53 into every cancer cell which is an overwhelming problem."
As for Richard, a cancer specialist in the U.S. looked at his medical records and agrees his cancer has almost disappeared. But Richard also had chemotherapy.
"According to my review, there's really no way of telling whether one or the other caused tumor regression," said cancer specialist Mark Persky.
As for the future of gene therapy, Dr. Venook stressed the amount of research still needed.
"I think it's very important that we pursue it, but that we clearly have a long way to go," Venook said.
Here's another consideration, the two-month treatment costs $20,000, and is not covered by health insurance.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)