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New Treatment May Diminish
Cancer Pain
Researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the University of Minnesota
(UMN) have found a natural protein that helps eliminate the pain associated with bone
cancer.
The protein, called osteoprotegerin (OPG), suppresses the
bone-destroying activity and deters cancer pain. Reported in the May issue of Nature
Medicine, the study examined the effects of OPG in mice. Results showed OPG eliminated
cancer-induced bone destruction and bone-destructing cells at the site of the tumor.
Researchers also found OPG significantly reduced pain-induced responses in mice with bone
cancer pain. Researchers are hopeful that drugs like OPG can effectively reduce bone
cancer pain, as well as other chronic pain, without imposing any harmful side
effects.
Patrick Mantyh, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at UMN, says OPG
targets the specific cells that cause bone cancer pain. Mantyh's hope is "... to
develop new and more effective therapies that block chronic pain without adverse side
effects." He adds, "When one relieves chronic pain, you dramatically improve the
quality of life. You truly return the life to the patient."
Currently, bone cancer pain is treated with strong
painkillers, radiation or hormone therapy. Side effects of these treatments include mental
impairment, depression, drowsiness, constipation and loss of appetite. According to the
American Cancer Society, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States.
Since 1990, an estimated 13 million Americans have been diagnosed with cancer, claiming
nearly 5 million lives. |
