Anti-cancer Drug May Help To Stop Babies Being Born Too Soon

AN anti-cancer drug could potentially be the first effective treatment for the many thousands of premature births that occur worldwide each year, scientific tests have found. The drug, which has been used to treat types of cancer including breast, bowel and lung, has been found in the laboratory to control levels of a hormone receptor protein in the womb which is linked with giving birth. The findings, from a research team at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, should bring hope to the women who see their premature babies die or suffer from physical or mental disability as a result of being born too early. The research, funded by the charity Action Medical Research, is published today in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.