(Image: Wikimedia Commons )

 

BY STACEY WELSH
ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

 

Scientists have developed an experimental cancer drug that could pack a powerful punch. NECN reports :

“It’s a combination of drugs that they say acts as a sort of ‘smart bomb’ against breast cancer cells without damaging healthy ones.”

So how does the drug know which cells to target? The New York Times reports the drug — T-DM1 — is made of powerful toxins linked to proteins called antibodies.

“The antibodies latch onto cancer cells and deliver the toxic payload directly into those cells… Such treatments... have been pursued for decades, but only now is success being achieved.”

The New York Times also reports it’s still too early to tell whether T-DM1 can prolong lives, but researchers are confident it will. What’s more, CNN explains , because the drug only targets cancer cells, side effects are reduced, which oncologists are calling a huge deal.

“That's because another significant benefit with T-DM1 was the lack of significant side effects and better quality of life. Women on T-DM1 did not suffer the usual and often grueling chemotherapy side effects seen in the other group: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, painful hand-foot syndrome and hair loss.”

Along with fewer side effects, the drug has also proven effective. A study of the drug looked at women who had already been through breast cancer treatments like chemotherapy. WSB reports :

“Doctors tried the treatment on 1,000 women with advanced stages of cancer, and it prevented the cancer from getting worse for months.”

The Associated Press reports the drug isn’t on the market yet, but supporters hope patients can get it within the next year.