Bark with A Bite

Taxol, a drug derived from tree bark, is approved to treat ovarian cancer

MORE THAN 20,000 AMERICAN WOMEN ARE DIAGnosed each year with ovarian cancer, many with the disease in an advanced stage, and chemotherapy seldom helps prolong their life. There is one effective treatment: taxol, a substance found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree. Taxol doesn't cure the cancer but does slow its progress for months in up to 30% of patients. Now it has received the blessing of both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Canadian authorities as an approved treatment for ovarian cancer. It is also being investigated for possible effectiveness in combatting breast and other cancers. The...

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