Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 28, 1994 TAG: 9403280124
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Arizona Republic
DATELINE: TUCSON, ARIZ. LENGTH: Medium
They've gazed through microscopes and examined models of DNA, the human genetic code, to find clues equivalent to footprints. Still, cancer remains a mysterious enemy that kills about 2,000 Americans every day. And, despite scores of treatments, more and more cancers are surfacing, affecting more and more people.
It's the No. 2 killer of Americans, after heart disease, and it could claim the top spot by the end of the decade.
About 30 researchers gathered in Tucson last week to share their studies on the causes of cancers and possible cures. Although their work shows promise, most of the scientists cautioned that it will be years before new treatments and tests are available widely to patients.
"There has been a tendency to overpromise in the past," says Dr. Harmon Eyre, executive vice president for medical affairs and research at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta. "We may not have recognized just how difficult a war we were waging."
Some feel the war, officially launched by President Richard Nixon in 1971, is being lost.
"All we hear are stories of progress," says Gerald Dermer, a cellular biologist and author of the recent book "The Immortal Cell: Why Cancer Research Fails."
"When we look back on all of these stories, we find empty promises. Nothing has ever come of all these so-called breakthroughs that we always are told are imminent."
He believes the basic scientific model that guides much of cancer research studying and manipulating cells in a laboratory petri dish leads to theories that just don't hold true for cells inside the body.
"If you start out with a bad model, all the science that comes from it is bad," said Dermer, a former cancer-research scientist at the University of Southern California and the University of North Carolina who now lives in Mesa, Ariz.
Most scientists discount his theory, as they methodically plod along the slow road to a cure.
"I believe we'll see, in 15 years, major advances that will add significantly to the life span of people with cancer," predicts Dr. Garth Powis, director of research at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson.
"I couldn't say that 10 or even five years ago, but I believe we're poised to make some real progress."
After all, he said, there have been some victories.
"Ten years ago, testicular cancer was 90 percent fatal. Today, it's 90 percent curable. It's early studies like the ones here that lead to small victories. We're finding new answers to old questions every day."
One new lead being tracked, scientists say, opens the door to the core of cancer genes, the building blocks of life.
Among the studies discussed at the conference, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, were:
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore believe they have found the gene responsible for prostate cancer, the second-most common cancer in men. Once located, doctors can test a person to see whether they have the gene, which tells them they are at high risk for developing prostate cancer.
Beta-carotene supplements can help reverse cancers of the mouth. Research from the Arizona Cancer Center showed that 60 milligrams of beta-carotene reduced precancerous lesions in the mouth.
Breast cancer may be linked to increased levels of estrogens. Research at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston shows breast cancers likely are triggered by some outside agent, and estrogen is the most likely culprit.
New drugs that target specific tumor cells show promise in treating cancers without the side effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea, vomiting and hair loss.
by CNB