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Further to my post of August 14, 2012 about chemosensitivity testing, I found a company that does chemosensitivity testing here in the USA.
The name of the company is Rational Therapeutics. On July 13, 2011, Dr Robert Nagourney wrote an article titled “Why I Do Chemosensitivity Testing“.
Because chemotherapy is so toxic, it makes sense that prior to undergoing a barrage of chemotherapy drugs, you find out which ones will be more effective against your particular cancer (because everybody is different) and chemosensitivity testing does this.
What impressed me about Rational Therapeutics was that they seem to use techniques which other laboratories do not use.
According to their website: “At Rational Therapeutics, we do not grow, subculture or propagate cells in the lab. Tumor cells are kept in clusters (microspheroids) that mimic the body’s environment. By examining cells in their native state, we take a snapshot of their behavior in response to drugs and combinations of drugs. These microspheroids reflect the complex elements of the body’s cellular environment, which has proven critical for the accurate prediction of clinical response.
“This is a significant advance over earlier methods where tumor cells were isolated and grown in the lab. These types of tests do not accurately reflect tumor response to drug treatments within the body.
“We adhere to three absolute principles of accurate assay analysis:
- Measure cell death, not the inhibition of growth.
- Never grow cells. We do not grow, propagate or subculture cells. We maintain them in their native state.
- Preserve the ecology of cancer biology by preserving cell-to-cell interaction. We maintain stromal, vascular and inflammatory cells that contribute to drug response.”
If your oncologist doesn’t know about chemosensitivity testing, it might be worthwhile having him check out Rational Therapeutics, 750 E. 29th Street, Long Beach, CA 90806, 562.989.6455, 800.542.HELP (4357).
I receive no kick-back or payment of any kind from this company, I just like to keep my readers informed of companies that are doing good work on behalf of cancer patients. This kind of targeted therapy makes a lot of sense to me.
I send my love to everyone taking this journey right now. If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com) and I’ll do my utmost to keep you informed and empowered on your healing journey… and beyond.
