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| Emphysema Lung |
Question:
Heard about some alternative treatment for emphysema surgery which may
also delay lung cancer. What can you tell me about it?
Answer:
The treatment involves use of an existing drug normally used to treat
blood pressure, and so is quite safe. The drug is a particular ACE
inhibitor. ACE stands for "angiotensin I converting enzyme." The
treatment counteracts the underlying process in emphysema: loss of
lung tissue, or "apoptosis." Removal of lung tissue surgically does
little to halt this process. Loss of lung tissue in emphysema appears
to be due to angiotensin II, which is produced by ACE in the lung
vessels. Lung vessels have much more ACE than any other organ in the
body. In the patient followed the longest to date, a heavy smoker with
terminal emphysema, GenoMed's treatment provided an extra 7 years of
life with good quality, despite continued smoking. This outcome far
surpasses those of lung reduction surgery or any other treatment in
the medical literature.
GenoMed's treatment costs $800 a year, as compared to $60,000 for
emphysema surgery. There are 2 million Americans with emphysema. In
addition, GenoMed has genomic epidemiologic data that its treatment
approach may delay emphysema and lung cancer, which should interest
the 70 million Americans who smoke.
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