Targeted therapies for Gist Sarcoma, Chemotherapy for Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma are the latest options available to treat sarcomas, cancers affecting soft tissues. Rexin-G is among the latest of drugs along with Gleevec and Sutan identified for innovative targeted therapies to treat gastrointestinal tumour sarcomas. For treatment of Ewing’s sarcoma the drug prescribed is VAC and for Osteosarcoma, drugs recommended are Adriamycin and Cisplatin.
Dr Sant P Chawla, visiting medical oncologist, HCG and director, Medical Oncology, Sarcoma Oncology Center in Santa Monica, CA has been involved in the study of Rexin-G, which uses recroviral agents to deliver cell-growth inhibiting components to specific areas. This drug has the potential to effectively stop the growth and spread of certain cancer cells while causing little or no side effects.
“Rexin G used in targeted therapy for sarcomas, still in clinical trial stage, is indicating extremely promising activity with no toxicity. Experiencing no side-effects is of paramount importance to patients battling the disease with conventional chemotherapy,” Dr Chawla who is in India told Pharmabiz in an interaction.
Sarcomas make one percent of all cancers but affects young people below 30 years. Targeted therapy can provide at least 50 to 80 percent relief in patients in the stage I and II of the disease and 25 percent on stage IV.
In India, with HCG Dr Chawla is looking forward to create a sarcoma consortium which will be a platform to share the know-how on treatments, research and collaboration efforts. Among the new therapies in treating sarcomas which affects people in their productive years is the limb salvaging procedure. During Dr Chawla’s tenure at MD. Anderson hospital, he led the team to pioneer in life saving chemotherapy and limb sparing surgery.
There has been considerable progress to minimize the side effects of chemotherapy including immune-suppression and nausea. In addition, there has been a focus on inventive therapy which is targeted treatment using drugs like mTor Inhibition and Rexin G.
“In an age where amputation is mandatory, with limb salvage, we now are able to save lives of over 75 per cent in Osteosarcoma and Ewing Sarcomas where the previous ratio was less than 20 percent,” said Dr Chawla.
Using targeted therapy, HCG has treated Breast Cancer with Herceptin and Colon cancer with Avastin.. It is now carrying out clinical trials. In the case of Lymphomas, oncologists prescribe Mabthera. For AML, it is Myelotarg. CML and Lung cancer Imatinib and Geftineb respectively are the drugs which have established value in clinical practice, said Dr Radheshaym Nayak, medical oncologist, HCG
Delving on the availability of experts in this field and the ensuing shortfall, Dr Ramesh Billimaga, Director, Medical, HCG, said that with the development of latest technologies, young medical graduates are keen on specializing in oncology. Currently, India has around 1,200 Radiotherapists, 300 Medical Oncologists and about 1,000 surgical Oncologists, which is almost one fifth of the country’s requirement. This is where more medical institutions should start post graduate courses in various disciplines of Oncology. Even the private institutions can have more of DNB students in Oncology. Certificate courses also could be started at University level, he added.