The study tests a new drug, HN-66000, made in part from mutant diphtheria toxin, that has the ability to select and kill tumor cells without harming normal cells. The drug is infused directly into the tumor through catheters placed during stereotactic neurosurgery. Candidates for the new treatment must be 18 to 75 years old and have a glioma that continues to grow despite surgery and radiation. Each patient will receive two treatments four to six weeks apart. About 18,000 adult Americans are diagnosed each year.
Median survival is less than one year even with aggressive treatment.
The British journal reports that regualr-dose warfarin, individually adjusted through monthly blood tests, reduced strokes by 75 percent. It was found superior to a combination of low-dose warfarin and asprin. The study, involving 1,044 people at 20 U.S. and Canadian medical centers, including Mayo CLinic Jacksonville, was stopped early because the benefit of regular-dose warfarin was so clear. Preliminary studies had suggested that lowdose warfarin alone might prevent the formation of blood clots. Researchers thought the combination of warfarin and aspirin might be especially good because the two drugs work on different aspects of clotting.