A new cancer drug called 2-CdA proved nearly 100% effective treating 12 patients with hairy cell leukemia. The patients underwent just a seven day treatment and suffered almost none of the usual debilitating side effects associated with chemotherapy, yet, they have been disease free for four years. People with that disease lack an enzyme that processes deoxyadenosine, a chemical that, without the enzyme, builds up in infection-fighting white blood cells and kills them. Results must be replicated by other researchers before definitive conclusions can be made. The drug is easy to produce and likely to be less expensive. This study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
A new cancer drug called 2-CdA proved nearly 100% effective treating 12 patients with hairy cell leukemia. The patients underwent just a seven day treatment and suffered almost none of the usual debilitating side effects associated with chemotherapy, yet, they have been disease free for four years. Results must be replicated by other researchers before definitive conclusions can be made. The drug is easy to produce and likely to be less expensive. This study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).