Thalidomide is now being tested against a host of other cancers, including one study of its effectiveness against carcinoid and islet cell cancers, launched in early April at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Krall is one of 10 patients in that study. OSU researchers are hoping to recruit six more. Dr. Manisha Shah, an assistant professor of internal medicine at OSU who heads the study, said carcinoid and islet cell cancers seem logical targets for an angiogenesis inhibitor. As cancers of the neuroendocrine system, they are slow-growing and dependent on a rich supply of blood vessels.
Chemotherapy tends to be more effective against fast-growing tumors.
But other traditional treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiation, have not been successful'' against them. What's more, patients don't have to come to the cancer center for their treatment. They simply take the pills at home. After three months, each of the patients in the OSU study will undergo scans and blood tests to see if the thalidomide is helping to control their cancers. If so, they will continue on the regimen.