New Tests and Treatments for Patients with Colorectal Cancer

George Fisher, gastroenterology oncology specialist and professor at the Stanford University Medical Center, reviews some of the recent successes in colorectal cancer research. In the United States, colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer. Advances in imaging, genetics, molecular diagnostics, surgical techniques and chemotherapy are having a significant effect on our ability to prevent, diagnose and treat this serious disease. Learn about these advances and Dr. Fishers vision of future care based on current research.

Category:

Education

[Stuckenmacht]

They've only done it in three patients so far, but the results were striking: two appear cancer-free up to a year after treatment, and the third had a partial response. Scientists are already preparing to try the approach in other kinds of cancer.

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See? Just like in the Majengo Clinic prostitutes. Their Killer T cells are especially good at getting the cells infected with HIV to commit apoptosis before the infection has "reached critical mass."

[Stuckenmacht]

This microscopy image provided by Dr. Carl June on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011 shows immune system T-cells, center, binding to beads which cause the cells to divide. The beads, depicted in yellow, are later removed, leaving pure T-cells which are then ready for infusion to the cancer patients. Scientists are reporting the first clear success with gene therapy to treat leukemia, using the patients' own blood cells to hunt down and wipe out their cancer.

[mandykal]

this guy is smart, i wonder how much education he has

[Stuckenmacht]

Sorry -- it was Majengo Clinic. Machengo is the name of a Spanish cheese. Just saw it on Bobby Flay's Throwdown and got confused. Sorry!

[Stuckenmacht]

Then maybe someday we could have a booster of Natural Killer T cells. For instance, you could have a blood test which shows you have an increased titer of a marker for transformed cells, and you could get a booster injection of Natural Killer T cells. Anyway, I think it is interesting that out of a clinic for people who have been targeted by serial killers such as the Green River Killer, we would get this lead.

[Stuckenmacht]

If we could understand how the immune system for 1% of prostitutes who regular take in HIV has Natural Killer T cells which cause the infected cells to commit suicide -- apoptosis -- then we could understand better how the immune system for some people is able to cause the transformed cells to commit suicide. Then besides the obvious technique of having fewer transformed cells by for instance having fewer cells damaged by UV light in the case of skin cancer

[Stuckenmacht]

The most interesting thing if you start to ask how did this tragedy happen to Patrick is that there is a clinic in a slum outside Nairobi, Kenya, called the Machengo Clinic, which treats people with STDs, and they have 5000 regular patients who are prostitutes, and 1% of them regularly are exposed to HIV and their immune system just flushes it out of the body like all the other debris they take in. So if we could understand how their Natural Killer T cells cause the cells infected by HIV

[Stuckenmacht]

For people who want to search You Tube for Patrick Swayze news, this clip should have a Patrick Swayze tag. Besides the fact that this doctor is the head of a lab which tries to have cutting edge treatment for patients whose cancers might not respond to standard treatment, this doctor won an award for outstanding patient care -- I don't know what it was called, but it was something like "Best Bedside Manner." However, I must butt in on Patrick Swayze's tragedy and say that the most interesting