Increasing Cancer Patient Survival Time by Administration of Dithio-Containing Compounds

摘要

The present invention discloses and claims compositions, methods of treatment, and kits which cause an increase in the time of survival in cancer patients, wherein the cancer: (i) overexpresses thioredoxin or glutaredoxin and/or (ii) exhibits evidence of thioredoxin- or glutaredoxin-mediated resistance to one or more chemotherapeutic interventions. The present invention also discloses and claims methods and kits for the administration of said compositions to properly treat cancer patients. Additionally, the present invention discloses and claims methods and kits for quantitatively determining the level of expression of thioredoxin or glutaredoxin in the cancer cells of a cancer patient, methods of using those determined levels in the initial diagnosis and/or planning of subsequent treatment methodologies for said cancer patient, as well as ascertaining the potential growth “aggressiveness” of the particular cancer and treatment responsiveness of the particular type of cancer. Further, the present invention discloses and claims novel pharmaceutical compositions, methods, and kits used for the treatment of patients with medical conditions and disease where there is the overexpression of thioredoxin and/or glutaredoxin, and wherein this overexpression is associated with deleterious physiological effects in the patients.