New Drug Battles Liver Cancer

Nexavar, already approved for kidney cancer, shows promise in liver patients
By Sarah Seltzer,  Newser User
Posted Jun 4, 2007 7:37 AM CDT
New Drug Battles Liver Cancer
US NEWS LIVERCANCER 2 MW   (KRT Photos)

An impressive clinical trial has produced what could be the first effective drug treatment for liver cancer, the New York Times reports. Nexavar, which blocks both the blood supply to the tumor and proteins that spur tumor growth, extended the lives of patients in the trial by almost three months, or 44%

"We did not have anything for these patients," said one of the principal investigators  in the trial. "Now we have an effective drug that prolongs survival." The drug, also known as sorafenib, is already approved to treat kidney cancer, so it can be prescribed "off label" to liver patients. Liver cancer is one of the most common, and deadliest, forms of the disease.
(More Nexavar stories.)

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