[慢速VOA]脑癌难以治愈(2) [080605]

作者：VOA | 沪江听说VOA美国之音时间：3年前 | 阅读：2889次 | [划词　　　]

Brain Cancer Like Kennedy's Is Difficult to Treat (2/2)

Some cancer experts believe that doctors are unlikely to operate on Senator Kennedy. They say the likely treatment is radiation and chemotherapy. But chemical treatment for brain cancer is complex because of the protective blood-brain barrier. It stops some chemicals from entering the brain, including many chemo drugs.

Radiation treatments for brain cancer have improved a lot in recent years. New methods and equipment can permit extremely localized treatments that are less likely to damage healthy tissue.

Research into brain cancer treatment also includes drug therapy. In two thousand five, a drug called temozolomide was shown to add a few months to the lives of brain cancer patients. And researchers are studying uses for the cancer drug Avastin. It is already used to treat breast, colon and lung cancer. It starves tumors by blocking blood flow to the growths.

The United States has about ten thousand new cancerous gliomas a year. Half of the people die within fifteen months. Malignant gliomas are more aggressive in older people. Ted Kennedy is seventy-six years old. The senator competed Monday in the second half of a boat race in Massachusetts, finishing second in his five-boat division.

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一些肿瘤专家认为，医生可能将不给参议员肯尼迪做手术，而可能采用放疗和化疗。但是由于血-脑屏障的保护作用，用化学疗法医治脑癌很复杂。血-脑屏障能阻止某些化学分子进入大脑，包括许多化学药物。

用放射法治疗脑癌在最近几年有所提高。新方法和仪器能准确定位，几乎不可能伤害到健康的组织。

对脑癌的研究同样包括药物治疗。2005年，一种叫替莫唑胺（抗肿瘤药物）的新药能使脑癌患者的生命延长几个月。并且，研究者们正在探讨抗癌药--阿瓦斯汀的使用范围。该药已经用于治疗乳腺癌，结肠癌和肺癌。它能阻断对肿瘤的生长至关重要的血液供应。

美国每年大约新增1万名胶质瘤患者。一半的人在15个月内死亡。年龄大的人更容易得恶性胶质瘤。特德·肯尼迪现在76岁了。周一，他还参加了马萨诸塞州帆船比赛的下半段赛程，在五人一组的比赛中位列第二。