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Ex-smokers
with pre-cancers who are given a daily dose of medication
normally used to treat dry mouth may be able to fight off
lung cancer, according to researchers at the University of
British Columbia..
Patients
who take the drug anethole dithiolethione, sold under the
brand names Sialor or Sulfarlem, have a significantly reduced
risk that pre-cancerous lesions in their throat will develop
into cancer, according to the study presented at the annual
meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research held
in San Francisco.
The treatment
works best in patients who have stopped smoking but are still
at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.
The drug
is a treatment for dry mouth that occurs naturally or when
taking certain medications. It works by stimulating the production
of an enzyme that detoxifies the harmful effects of cigarette
smoke and other harmful cancer-causing pollutants. The enzyme
is abnormally low in persons who have had an exposure to tobacco
over a long period of time.
In their six-month study, researchers followed 101 participants
who were diagnosed with pre-cancerous conditions called bronchial
dysplasia. The participants were given either Sialor or a
placebo. Two thirds of the patients were smokers of over one
pack a day and one third were former smokers who had smoked
at least 30 years before quitting.
Researchers
found that the rate of progression of pre-cancers decreased
by 22 percent in the participants who were taking Sialor over
those taking a placebo. The best results were seen in the
participants who had already quit smoking.
Further
studies are needed to show that the drug actually lowers the
risk of lung cancer, advised the researchers.
Sialor
is available in Canada, Europe and other countries but is
not approved for use in the United States.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of April 14, 2002
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