Cancer drug helps scleroderma sufferers
Cancer drug helps scleroderma sufferers
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Thursday, 22, Jun 2006 12:01
A drug traditionally used for treating cancer patients can significantly alleviate the symptoms suffered by scleroderma sufferers, scientists have claimed.
A report publishing today in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that cyclophosphamide delays the onset of scleroderma, a degenerative condition affecting the skin and lungs.
Clinical trials were conducted on 158 scleroderma patients, some of which were given cyclophosphamide, commonly known as cytoxan, while others were given a placebo.
After a year of taking their assigned pills scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) analysed the participant's medical data and found diminished deterioration among those who had taken cytoxan.
The drug had a positive impact on breathing, lung function, quality of life, functional disability and skin thickness, but negative side-effects including "complications from infection" and low white blood cell counts were noted.
Most notable, however, was the three per cent improvement in breathing ability among cytoxan-takers, a "small but statistically significant" difference according to the researchers.
Scleroderma is a relatively rare skin condition in the UK, with only 7,000 people suffering from it. But of those among whom it develops, usually those aged between 30 and 50, an average of 40 per cent will die from symptomatic lung problems.