Health Care

By: Peter Kent

Scientists Have Discovered Two Cancer Drugs Capable of Reversing, Preventing Diabetes

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) recently reported the results of a study that successfully reversed and prevented type 1 diabetes with the administration of two cancer treatments. The drugs, known as imatinib (Gleevec) and sunitinib (Sutent), are normally used to treat a variety of cancers including gastrointestinal stomach tumors (GIST).

During the study, researchers found that 80 percent of the time type 1 diabetes entered into remission among test mice and "worked permanently in 80 percent of those that go into remission," according to news reports on the study. Additionally, researchers found that by administering the two cancer treatments "before the onset of autoimmune diabetes, prevented development" of the condition.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is considered a breakthrough for type 1 diabetes patients who have very few effective drugs available to them, according to experts at the UCSF Diabetes Center. Science Daily reported that research is expected to continue on the cancer treatments and the associated findings until a safe and efficient clinical trial for humans can be adequately developed.

Diabetes Types 1 and 2

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are unique and have distinct characteristics in their makeup. Additionally, medications for either condition are markedly different and cannot be taken for the opposite condition as severe health risks may occur.

According to a Science Daily news article, "type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune response that destroys insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas," whereas the Mayo Clinic described type 2 diabetes as "a chronic condition that affects the way the body metabolizes sugar (glucose)."

Both conditions are, however, preceded by pre-diabetes, which is when "blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes," according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), which is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Individuals with pre-diabetes are able to reduce their risk of either condition by participating in physical activity as well as weight loss. However, it is still important for individuals at risk for pre-diabetes and diabetes to not only speak with their physician on the disease, but to also know the signs and symptoms of diabetes, which include the following as described by the NDIC:

* blurry eyesight
* dry, itchy skin
* slow-healing sores
* unexplained weight loss
* urinating often
* excessively thirsty and hungry
* feeling tired
* losing feeling in the feet or experiencing a tingling sensation in the feet

Prescription Drugs For Diabetes

Currently, there are an array of diabetes drugs flooding the market, and, several of those may have severe side effects that are often overlooked by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is severely understaffed and underfunded according to a Reader’s Digest magazine news article, and by physicians as well as negligent patients.

An example of one such drug that has made waves of controversy for its allegedly dangerous side effects, but still exists on shelves, is that of Avandia. Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, is a type 2 diabetes drug that has been linked to both an increased risk of heart disease and bone fractures among patients, according to a 2007 article in The New England Journal of Medicine and a Swiss study.

While the drug has been allegedly linked to hazardous side effects, the FDA has done little to prevent these potential Avandia dangers from occurring. Because of this it may be necessary for a victim of the drug’s risks to contact a pharmaceutical attorney regarding the development of an Avandia lawsuit, which may offer monetary compensation as a reward for the side effects that a victim incurred.

Peter Kent is the best-selling author of 50 books and hundreds of articles for magazines and newspapers. He manages Legalview.com, a website hosting a variety of information on legal issues, including Avandia

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