February 17, 1999 – In a study published in the February 11, 1999 edition of the journal Nature, Dr. Minoru Hojo of Cornell University shows that cyclosporine, the main drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection, stimulates cell division and makes cells faster to change shape, move and grow without being anchored to a solid surface.
It was believed that the tendency of transplant recipients to develop cancer – they are 100 times more likely to develop cancer than the general population – was caused by their weakened immune system. The study by Dr. Hojo and his colleagues shows that this tendency is caused by cyclosporine itself, which stimulates the growth factor Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF ß). Currently, between 5 and 10% of transplant recipients develop cancer, usually skin cancer or lymphoma.
Before the introduction of cyclosporine, the one-year survival rate for transplant recipients was only 40% compared to 90% with cyclosporine. In short, for transplant recipients the question of choosing the transplant does not really arise. As the transplant is already the only possible option for survival for the majority of them, taking the risk of developing cancer in the medium term is no match for the assurance of short-term survival.
Presenting the research findings of Dr. Hojo, the journalist commentator Nature to this significant admission on the limits of current knowledge: “But cyclosporine, whose mechanism of action was believed to be well known, remains enigmatic in many ways.”
HealthPassport.net
