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Related terms: Scleroderma, Circumscribed Scleroderma, Dermatosclerosis, Morphea
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Cancer Drug May Help Scleroderma
Posted 2 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Oct. 20 – A new study suggests that the cancer drug Gleevec may benefit people with scleroderma, a chronic connective tissue disease. No effective treatment currently exists for scleroderma, which affects the skin, blood vessels and often muscles and joints, as well as the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, heart and lungs. About 300,000 people in the United States have scleroderma, which typically strikes people between the ages of 30 and 50, according to the Scleroderma Foundation. This study included 30 patients with diffuse scleroderma, a widespread, severe form of the disease. They took 400 milligrams of Gleevec a day and were evaluated monthly for 12 months during treatment and were seen for follow-up three months after they stopped taking the drug. The researchers assessed the effectiveness of the drug treatment by using a tool called the modified Rodnan skin score, a ... Read more
Related support groups: Gleevec, Systemic Sclerosis
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