Investigational Peptide Therapy Subject Of New Study.(peptide therapy combined with chemotherapy studied for ovarian cancer)(Brief Article)

2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

Magee-Women's Hospital is now enrolling patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer in a clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a treatment combining traditional chemotherapy with a peptide that has shown cancer-fighting properties.

A peptide is a combination of amino acids. The trial peptide, called IM862, appears to interfere with tumor blood vessel development, said Robert P. Edwards, MD, medical director of gynecological oncology at Magee-Women's Hospital and director of the gynecologic oncology center at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania.

"The treatment is given in nose drops that patients can administer themselves," added Edwards, who also is an associate professor and medical director in the division of gynecologic oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "So far, initial testing indicates few side effects, and the peptide also seems to be very active. It's exciting."

Developed by Seattle, Washington-based Cytran, Inc., IM862 is also being tested as a possible immune system booster. Magee-Women's Hospital is among 18 centers nationwide now taking part in clinical trials using IM862, which is also being evaluated for its effectiveness in treating patients with prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers. Cytran is funding the Magee study.

"Since the symptoms of ovarian cancer can be subtle, many women are not diagnosed until the disease is in an advanced stage," said Holly H. Gallion, MD, director of the National Center of Excellence in Ovarian Cancer at Magee. "So these sorts of trials are essential to the development of possible new treatments."

Approximately 24,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States, said Edwards, who is principal investigator for the IM862 study in Pittsburgh. About 14,000 women die yearly from the disease.