SEATTLE, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) , along with the Society for Women’s Health Research, the Lung Cancer Alliance and others, will sponsor a panel discussion entitled “Lung Cancer: Being Female Matters to Research,” on Capitol Hill to discuss advances in the research and treatment of lung cancer in women on Monday, September 17.
CTI has been conducting clinical trials of its investigational drug, XYOTAX(TM), researching how estrogen levels affect a woman’s response to treatment for lung cancer. Data collected from recent XYOTAX trials suggests that estrogen levels may alter the effectiveness of cancer treatment, and that women with higher levels of estrogen had a lower rate of survival in cases of lung cancer.
The event will be held in room B-340 of the Rayburn House Office Building from noon to 1:30 p.m. Speakers will include Laurie Fenton Ambrose, President of the Lung Cancer Alliance, Joan H. Schiller, M.D., Chief of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Deputy Director of Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Jill M. Siegfried, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and co-Director of the Lung and Esophageal Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI).
Women and Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of women in the United States -- more than breast and ovarian cancers combined. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2007 there will be approximately 213,490 new cases of lung cancer in the United States -- up 22 percent from 2006. Of those new cases, 98,620 will be among women -- up 20 percent from a year ago. One in 16 women will develop lung cancer in their lifetime.
“Gender does matter -- especially when it comes to lung cancer,” said James A. Bianco, M.D., president and CEO of CTI. “This should be a national wake up call for increased awareness and research into lung cancer and gender-based medicine. Women are affected by lung cancer differently than men, and they respond differently to treatment. Through our XYOTAX studies, we continue to explore ways to turn a negative -- high levels of estrogen -- into a positive in our continuing efforts to make cancer more treatable.”
About XYOTAX(TM)
XYOTAX(TM) (paclitaxel poliglumex) is a biologically-enhanced chemotherapeutic that links paclitaxel, the active ingredient in Taxol(R), to a biodegradable polyglutamate polymer, which results in a new chemical entity. When bound to the polymer, the chemotherapy is rendered inactive, potentially sparing normal tissue’s exposure to high levels of unbound, active chemotherapy and its associated toxicities. Blood vessels in tumor tissue, unlike blood vessels in normal tissue, are porous to molecules like polyglutamate. Based on preclinical studies, it appears that XYOTAX is preferentially distributed to tumors due to their leaky blood vessels and trapped in the tumor bed allowing significantly more of the dose of chemotherapy to localize in the tumor than with standard paclitaxel. Once inside the tumor cell, enzymes metabolize the protein polymer, releasing the paclitaxel chemotherapy. Preclinical and clinical studies support that XYOTAX metabolism by lung cancer cells may be influenced by estrogen, which could lead to enhanced release of paclitaxel and efficacy in women with lung cancer compared to standard therapies. XYOTAX is being studied in non-small cell lung and ovarian cancers as well as in several investigator-sponsored trials for prostate and breast cancers.
About Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
Headquartered in Seattle, CTI is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing an integrated portfolio of oncology products aimed at making cancer more treatable. For additional information, please visit http://www.cticseattle.com.
This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, the outcome of which could materially and/or adversely affect actual future results. Specifically, the risks and uncertainties that could affect the development of XYOTAX include risks associated with preclinical and clinical developments in the biopharmaceutical industry in general and with XYOTAX in particular including, without limitation, the potential failure of XYOTAX to prove safe and effective for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, determinations by regulatory, patent and administrative governmental authorities, competitive factors, technological developments, costs of developing, producing and selling XYOTAX, and the risk factors listed or described from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, the Company’s most recent filings on Forms 10-K, 8-K, and 10-Q. Except as may be required by Italian law, CTI is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Media Contact: Dan Eramian T: 206.272.4343 C: 206.854.1200 Susan Callahan T: 206.272.4472 F: 206.272.4434 E: media@ctiseattle.comhttp://www.cticseattle.com/media.htm Investors Contact: Leah Grant T: 206.282.7100 F: 206.272.4434 E: invest@ctiseattle.comhttp://www.cticseattle.com/investors.htm
Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
CONTACT: media, Dan Eramian, +1-206-272-4343, cell, +1-206-854-1200, orSusan Callahan, +1-206-272-4472, fax, +1-206-272-4434,media@ctiseattle.com, or investors, Leah Grant, +1-206-282-7100, fax,+1-206-272-4434, invest@ctiseattle.com, all of Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
Web site: http://www.cticseattle.com/
