In the field of oncology, Bayer researchers are working on innovative treatment concepts combining diagnostics and therapy. This makes it possible to tailor them specifically to patients.

Leverkusen – The symptoms are quite inconspicuous. Some people experience a little minor back pain. Only one in three persons affected by the disease notices dark-colored or red urine. The doctor’s diagnosis therefore comes as a shock to most patients: “You have advanced kidney cancer.” Many are unable to comprehend exactly what that means when they first hear the news. Not until later do they realize that this was the moment their lives changed forever. 

In Germany, some 6,400 women and 10,000 men are newly diagnosed with kidney cancer each year ; worldwide, annually, the rate of new cases is over 200,000. The disease is especially common in people between 60 and 70 years of age. More than 85 percent of kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas . The malignant tumor forms directly from damaged kidney cells. The disease is often discovered by chance, diagnosed late during an ultrasound scan of the abdomen. The symptoms are highly varied and seldom point directly to the affected organ, making this disease especially insidious.

For patients the diagnosis of cancer brings with it dramatic changes to life as they knew it. Usually, either the tumor or the entire kidney is surgically removed. If the disease has metastasized, immunotherapy may be part of the treatment program in a small number of cases. In addition to physical strain, patients struggle with ongoing psychological stress. Family members and friends suffer as well. Each visit to the doctor and each new examination raise hope of improvement, but renal cell carcinoma is insidious and difficult to treat.
 
By the time the disease is diagnosed, metastases have already formed in one out of every three patients. Half of the patients will die because of the advanced stage of the cancer.

However, new technologies and medical developments make it possible to treat some types of cancer as chronic diseases. Modern medicines can combat tumors precisely, simultaneously attacking multiple weak points in the cancer cells. Professor Ronald M. Bukowski at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio explains: “The medications attack the cancer cells directly, they block their growth signals and they prevent the formation of new blood vessels without which the tumor is unable to survive.” The oncologist has for years been researching the molecular bases of cancer.

“Our ever-growing understanding of molecular mechanisms has another crucial consequence for treatments of the future,” says Professor Bukowski. “We are gradually beginning to grasp why medicines work in some patients and not in others.” The researcher and his colleagues are seeking to to prolong and improve the quality of the patients lives. “We are working hard to increase the length and quality of life to such an extent that treatment will one day actually lead to a cure.”

The promising advances made with targeted active ingredients such as sorafenib are giving patients reason for hope. Experts believe, however, that each individual’s attitude towards the disease and knowledge about it are crucial as well. Knowledge, for example, of how lifestyle affects one’s risk of developing cancer. Smoking, obesity and a high-fat diet are the most important, potentially negative influences. Hormonal factors and frequent contact with kidney-damaging solvents, petroleum products and asbestos can further increase risk of the disease. Early diagnosis continues to play one of the most important roles in the fight against kidney cancer. If renal cell carcinoma is discovered in time and treated in a targeted manner, patients’ chances of survival are increased.

About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of more than EUR 15.9 billion (2009), is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 53.400 employees and is represented in more than 100 countries. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

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