A major medical breakthrough may revolutionize the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma. British scientists discovered that an extract from a white flower known as baby's breath (gypsophila), can make chemotherapy drugs 1 million times more effective.
Researchers with the charity Leukemia Busters found that molecules in baby's breath, called saponins, break down the membranes of deadly cancer cells, and make it easier for the anti-cancer drugs to work. Amazingly, the extract increased the effectiveness of the drugs, called immunotoxins, by "over a millionfold."
"I am usually careful about the words I use with things like this, but this discovery could truly revolutionize the way these antibody-based drugs work, and it will save lives," said Dr. David Flavell, head of Leukemia Busters, in the Daily Mail.
Flavell and his wife, Dr. Bee Flavell, began the charity in memory of their son Simon who died of leukemia in 1990. Simon, who was a fan of the movie Ghost Busters, named the charity and designed the logo before his death.
"And this doesn't just apply to leukemia," David Flavell said. "There is a really big possibility this can be used for many cancers, too.
"This is a potentially very important discovery that could allow us to kill leukemia cells in the patient much more effectively with much lower doses of immunotoxin," Flavell said in a statement.
"We still need to do laboratory-based work to further develop this discovery into a practical and safe treatment for patients," he told the Telegraph."The next phase will be clinical trials, which are projected to take three to five years."
The National Cancer Institute estimated there were 44,790 new cases of leukemia in the United States in 2009, and 21,870 deaths. The NCI also estimated there were 65,980 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States in 2009, and 19,500 deaths from the disease.
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