New method
for treating pancreatic cancer on the cards
British researchers have developed a new method for treating
pancreatic cancer which enables the body’s immune system to attack and kill
cancer cells. The method developed by the researchers at the Cambridge
University’s Cancer Research Institute uses a drug to break down the protective
barrier surrounding pancreatic cancer tumours, enabling cancer-attacking T
cells, a type of white blood cells, to enhance the immunity.
The drug is used in combination with an antibody that blocks
a second target and improves the activity of these T cells, a Cambridge
University press release said on Friday. Pancreatic cancer is the eighth
most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Tumour removal is the
most effective treatment but it is suitable for just one in five patients. ‘By
enabling the body to use its own defences to attack cancer, this approach has
the potential to greatly improve treatment of solid tumours,’ Professor Douglas
Fearon, who leads the research, said.
21.12.2013
Canadian experts disagree with new blood pressure
guidelines for people over 60
According to new guidelines published in the Journal of
American Medical Association, the high blood pressure threshold for people above
60 years of age has changed from 140/90 to 150/90. This has caused a storm in
the field of cardiovascular medicine and many patients are now visiting doctors
with queries.
The news has not gone down well with Canadian doctors and a
lot of claim that not treating blood pressure below 150 could put patients at
risk of heart attack or strokes. ‘They didn’t consider that many patients,
after age 60, have elevated cholesterol, they may be smokers, they may be
overweight or obese. For those patients, perhaps a majority of patients above
age 60, recommending blood pressures under 150 may be under-treating them,’, Dr
Ernesto Schiffrin, a Canadian hypertension expert told The Globe and
Mail.
Not all doctors are against the new guidelines. ‘As
we get older our blood pressure increases – this is just part of the aging
process. If that’s the only thing that you have, then trying to bring down
blood pressure may not be realistic or necessary.’, Dr Peter Liu, the
scientific director of Ottawa Heart Institute told The Globe and
Mail. He added that blood pressure medications may have side effects,
and if given unnecessarily they could cause more harm than good.
21.12.2013
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