Science/Medicine : Drug for Cancer Patients

Researchers say an experimental drug that reduces the toxic side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment could significantly increase the number of cancer victims who can be treated and cured.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center said the compound, WR 2721, has also shown ability to help some terminally ill cancer patients who did not respond to other forms of treatment.

The drug protects normal cells from the toxic side effects of chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy, but is not absorbed by cancerous cells and therefore does not offer them the same protection, said Dr. Donna Glover, a cancer center oncologist. If approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, the drug will have broad applications in treating cancer patients because it allows higher doses of chemotherapy agents and radiation to be applied.