New therapy may stop pancreatic tumor growth

Scientists have developed a new form of chemotherapy that destroys blood vessels, which grow around tumors, according to a presentation at the congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Stockholm, Sweden.

Led by Matthias Lohr of the Karolinska Institutet, the research team investigated the efficacy and safety of three different doses of cationic lipid complexed paclitaxel (EndoTAG-1). The researchers administered the formulation two times each week, in combination with weekly infusions of gemcitabine, compared to the latter drug alone, in 200 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

"EndoTAG consists of charged particles that bind preferentially to the fast-growing endothelial cells in new blood vessels formed by tumors," said Prof Lohr. Paclitaxel is then released and the nutrient supply of the tumor tissue is reduced, thus preventing the growth of the tumor.