New Cancer Treatment May Ease Nerves
![Graphic contains detailed, grayscale illustrations of two nerve endings set against a white background.](https://www.myiu.org/stories/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Nerves.jpg)
For patients who have just received a cancer diagnosis, the immediate need is clear: battling the life-threatening dangers of the cancer itself. Yet often overshadowed in this fight are the serious side effects of many treatments, which can take a devastating toll on patients’ quality of life. It’s a catch-22 that leaves many sufferers facing tough decisions.
One such side effect is neuropathy: a nerve problem affecting some 30 to 60 percent of patients, resulting in pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, or muscle weakness.
Fortunately, a drug developed at IU shows potential to fight cancer without damaging the nervous system.
![](https://www.myiu.org/stories/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MarkKelly.jpg)
Developed over nearly 30 years by IU Simon Cancer Center researcher Mark Kelley, PhD, and in collaboration with an IU spin-off company he founded (Apexian Pharmaceuticals), the drug suppresses a protein in the body that supports cancer growth. But unlike chemotherapy, which can often cause nerve damage, the new treatment doesn’t disrupt the protein’s beneficial nerve-protecting function.
The promising drug, now in clinical trials, may eventually increase cancer survival rates and offer patients new hope—not just for successful treatment, but for a vibrant life to follow.
This article was originally published in the fall 2018 issue of Imagine magazine.
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Written By
A. Price
A resident of the Hoosier state since grade school, Alex forged a friendship with “tried and true” IU upon becoming a writer at the IU Foundation.