Detecting cancer  drug resistance

United Laboratories Inc., the country’s largest and leading pharmaceutical and healthcare company, has developed a method to detect cancer drug resistance in human genes. The new method is helpful in determining better anti-cancer treatment among Filipino patients.

Cancer is the third leading cause of illness and death among Filipinos. According to the Department of Health, about 53 cases per 100,000 population occur every year in the country.

While many types of cancer are treatable, some types are resistant to anti-cancer drugs, caused by multi-drug resistance (MDR1) genes in certain cancer cells.

“MDR1 genes encode for P-glycoprotein which, when produced in excessive amounts, act as a pump that actively expels anti-cancer drugs,” Dr. Alexander Tuazon, Unilab medical director, said. “This results in resistance to anti-cancer drug and consequently, a failure in treatment.”

Unilab’s method to detect cancer drug resistance was developed by one of its Filipino scientists, Dr. Leila Florento, who specifically studied leukemia cells.

Florento developed the method after discovering the over-production of P-glycoprotein by MDR1 genes in cancer patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia who failed anti-cancer treatment.

“By knowing the cancer cell gene’s resistance to anti-cancer drugs, doctors are able to prescribe better anti-cancer medication to Filipino patients to ensure their treatment,” Tuazon said.

The study on cancer drug resistance is one of several medical studies being conducted by Unilab aimed at better understanding major life-threatening diseases like cancer so that it can continue to develop safe, effective, and affordable healthcare products for Filipinos.