TeachableMedicalNews article 07162020
Teachable moment in classrooms:
- chemical basis of life – tertiary structure of proteins
- cellular basis of life chapter – cell cycle
- cellular basis of life chapter – stages of mitosis
- reproductive system chapter – structures of the mammary gland
The news item: Recently a new form of cancer treatment was in the news:
Newer drug extends lives of young breast cancer patients, study finds
The drug Kisqali (ribociclib) is already approved by the FDA, and new research shows it helps some breast cancer patients live longer
The article states that the drug Kisquali extended the survival time of breast cancer patients, and that the drug is a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
So, Why Do I Care?? In the USA alone there will be over 270,000 breast cancer cases in 2020, and it is expected that more than 47,000 breast cancer deaths will happen. Any improvement in the survival rate over the treatment by traditional chemotherapy is good news. In addition, attacking breast cancer from a new direction may improve the treatment of other cancers as well.
Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about breast cancer. This cancer is not actually the cancer of the entire breast. Within the breast tissue there is a gland called mammary gland that makes milk in mothers after giving birth. The milk is made in deeper segments of the gland, and several tubes called lactiferous ducts bring the milk to the skin surface. It is the cells of those ducts that develop cancer in most breast cancers.