China’s Cancer Drug – China

China’s Cancer Drug – China – May 2007 Cancer patients are traveling to China hoping that controversial gene therapy Gendicine may prove a miracle cure. But western scientists are very reluctant to back the therapy which remains available only in China. Philomina Moniz was given six months to live by Australian doctors. Her bladder cancer had spread into her abdomen, and there seemed no chance of controlling further spread. She heard of the Gendicine treatment in an article on the internet, and traveled to China where she was given an 80% chance of survival. Professor John Rasko admits that, “In cancer medicine it’s always important to allow for hope”, but he worries that there is still “no compelling evidence” that Gendicine is the miracle cure it is billed as. The treatment does not come cheap with a full course costing as much as 0000, and while for some the price of life can never be too high, Rasko worries that not only are people wasting their time, they are also subjecting themselves to “considerable extra suffering” and “unexpected side-effects”. Philomena’s cancer ultimately proved not to respond to the Gendicine therapy. But she does not regret her trip, “at least I’ve tried everything in the book” she says. For her, like the hundreds of other patients in the clinic, “seeing people walk out of the clinic cancer free” provided the hope needed to go on fighting this deadly disease. Produced by ABC Australia Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

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