Northwestern Memorial Study Tests Cancer Drug On Scleroderma Patients

Physicians at Northwestern
Memorial Hospital are studying the effects of an anti-cancer drug to treat
patients with scleroderma, a rare, incurable autoimmune rheumatic disease
that leads to hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues.
Scleroderma affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States and
can often attack the lungs, heart, kidneys and intestinal tract, and
sometimes lead to death.


The study is the first of its kind to examine if Gleevec, a cancer drug
commonly used to treat leukemia, will treat the skin thickness in
scleroderma patients by blocking the pathway that causes fibrosis. Patients
enrolled in the clinical trial will receive daily oral doses of Gleevec for
six months and will be evaluated initially on a weekly basis at
Northwestern Memorial, one of only three centers nationwide participating
in the study. Others include Johns Hopkins and Boston University Medical
Center.



John Varga, MD, rheumatologist at Northwestern Memorial, John and Nancy
Hughes Distinguished Professor in Rheumatology at Northwestern University's
Feinberg School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study, said
this could be a big step forward for people diagnosed with scleroderma.
"Based on recent research performed by investigators at the Feinberg
School, Gleevec shows potential efficacy in reducing the abnormal skin
changes associated with scleroderma."



The exact cause of Scleroderma, a chronic disease most commonly found
in women between the ages of 30 and 40, remains unknown. Through continued
research, Northwestern Memorial physicians hope to identify treatments to
target the disease and improve the quality of life for patients living with
Scleroderma.



"We hope that the use of Gleevec for a sustained period of time will
decrease the symptoms of skin hardening, and potentially slow the
progression of this devastating disease," adds Dr. Varga.



About Northwestern Memorial Hospital



Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the country's premier academic
medical centers and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine. Northwestern Memorial and its
Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry have 897 beds
along with 1,424 affiliated physicians and 6,464 employees. Northwestern
Memorial is recognized for providing state-of-the-art patient care and
exemplary clinical and surgical advancements in the areas of cardiothoracic
and vascular care, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology,
organ and bone marrow transplantation, and women's health. Northwestern
Memorial received the prestigious 2005 National Quality Health Care Award
and is listed in eight specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2007
rankings for "America's Best Hospitals." For seven years running,
Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the nation's "100 Best Companies
for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and has been chosen by
Chicagoans for more than a decade as their "most preferred hospital"
according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey.
Northwestern Memorial carries the Magnet status designation in nursing, the
highest recognition possible for patient care and nursing excellence.


Northwestern Memorial Hospital

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View drug information on Gleevec.