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Usually my local paper is fairly quiet, but today it caught my attention. I’ve tried to keep up with the technology used to kill cancer cells for quite some time. My wife had breast cancer for 16 years and recently passed away because of it. Chemotherapy has been the choice of weaponry against cancer because most treatments would signal cell-death hence no renewals (loss of hair, anemia, etc.). A new drug group is now being tested called Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase or PARP inhibitor. This drug targets enzymes that help DNA correct itself. All of our body’s cells contain DNA or genetic code that provides instruction like a computer program for the cell during replication so that it is made “exactly” like the cell it’s made from. Cancer cells tend to grow more rapidly and their DNA is somehow incorrect. The PARP Inhibitor acts to target the cancer cells and attempt to correct the DNA causing the cancerous cell growth.

The trials for PARP Inhibitors is exciting because scientists know that the answer to eradicating cancer is to stop the hidden bug within our DNA or fix the DNA once we know someone has cancer. Current chemotherapy uses a technique called apoptosis where the drugs trigger the cells to kill themselves. Apoptosis is a type of cell death where the cell uses a set of programmed events (genetics) to cause its own demise. This technique used is most effective on cells that use apoptosis to heal themselves such as skin, hair, stomach lining, etc. And, of course it also works with cancer cells that grow rapidly. Personally, I’m not a big fan of current treatments because while it lengthens the patient’s life, it does not heighten or enhance the quality of one’s life. In fact, the second chemotherapy drug, Abraxane, my wife used was supposed to be very mild for the effects of nausea and she was hospitalized 3 times for nausea that lasted about 5 days each time. Abraxane is however a second effort treatment where other treatments have failed.

The PARP Inhibitor trials are a welcome sign that the research community is looking at other solutions to this problem. You can follow the trials by going to clinicaltrials.gov and typing PARP inhibitors in the search box.

I coined a new acronym the other day and I thought I’d share it here for historical reasons. Things get done during your day by completing each of your 15 minute to-do’s, tasks, honey-do’s, etc. These small tasks add up at the end of the day. And, the more you can get done, the more successful you are. It’s simple. Success comes in small wins. My acronym is SBSS or Success By Small Steps. Try it.