( Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lun...)Gleevec for Lung Disease,Health

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lung disease that, according to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, claims the lives of 40,000 people every year. There's often not a known cause although// smoking and some occupations are risk factors. Now, a new treatment may give patients what they're looking for -- more time.

Michael Dixon is enjoying every minute he has with his wife Debbie. Earlier this year, his doctor told him he had a lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis. "He gave me, at most, a 50/50 chance of making five years, and that's when it sunk in," Michael tells Ivanhoe.

He only has half of his lung capacity right now, but as time passes, it will decrease even more. He says, "The hardest part was telling my kids that I might not be around."

Michael is determined to stay around, so he enrolled in a study at Tulane University Health Sciences Center with Pulmonologist Joseph Lasky, M.D..

"The idea of the use of Gleevec is to stop the disease from getting worse once the patient has been diagnosed," Dr. Lasky tells Ivanhoe.

Gleevec has received national attention for its success in treating leukemia. Because fibrosis and cancer share some of the mechanisms of the development of the disease, Dr. Lasky says doctors thought it might be of some benefit for the patients who have fibrosis.

In this disease, scars form on the lungs. Those scars soon take over, and the lungs stop working. Based on lab studies, Dr. Lasky says Gleevec should stop that scarring.

"At best, we hope to stop the progression of the disease," he says. "It's our hope that the treatment of Gleevec will increase the length of their life as well as improve the quality."

The research is currently ongoing to find out just how effective Gleevec is.

For the study, Michael takes six pills a day and hopes they'll give him and his lungs a little more time. "I'd say 99 percent of the time, I believe it's going to
'"/>




Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Gleevec gets hopeful results
2. "Miracle" Cancer Drug Gleevec Can be Toxic to the Heart
3. Novartis Gleevec Found Effective in Treating Gastro-intestinal Tumors
4. Transdermal HRT not cardioprotective in postmenopausal women with Coronary Artery Disease
5. Vitamins-The answer to Heart Disease?
6. Link between Constipation and Parkinsons Disease
7. Levels Of Blood Proteins May Help Heart Disease Care
8. New Drug PP188 Helps Sickle Cell Disease
9. Gene Treatment for Heart Disease
10. Legume Consumption Can Cut Heart Disease Risk
11. Link Between Infection And Heart Disease