NN-FRID302-TX New Cancer Drug

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PKG (NOT exact verbatim)

The pill is so new it's only identified by letters and numbers. MK-2206 is an experimental cancer therapy made by Merck. It's experimental and exciting to patients trying it for the first time, like 65-year-old Larry Dipoma of San Antonio, a retired Air Force colonel who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer two years ago.

At stage four, Dipoma has tumors throughout his body, and at first, a grim prognosis. "Because the cancer had spread so widely, it was considered to be incurable,"
Dipoma said.

Since November of 2008, Dipoma has been taking MK-2206 every other day. It targets a specific pathway in cells, a pathway that can lead to cancer growing and spreading.

"So if you can shut off this pathway, you can conceivably stop the growth of some tumors as well as, in some circumstances, cause regression of the tumors as well," explained Dr. Anthony Tolcher, medical oncologist.

In fact, Dipoma's largest tumor in his liver has shrunk by more than 20%. "I've felt better in the last eight months than I have in several years," he commented.

At South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START) in San Antonio, about 30 patients have tried this experimental therapy so far. Since it's not chemotherapy, this drug doesn't have as many side effects on normal cells.

It's also being tried on patients with ovarian, prostate and breast cancer. Even if it just helps manage the disease, it would be an important new weapon against a killer

"For many of my patients who have incurable cancer, if we can treat it and keep it under control, then we're doing a great service," Tolcher said.

The next step is to try the drug in conjunction with traditional cancer therapies, and also with other experimental drugs, to see what works best.

Wendy Rigby
Medical Reporter

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