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CNN Live At Daybreak

Former Representative Geraldine Ferraro Diagnosed with Blood Cancer

Aired June 19, 2001 - 07:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Former U.S. Representative Geraldine Ferraro is battling blood cancer. The Democratic nominee for vice president in 1984 found out she had multiple myeloma five years ago. Ferraro plans to testify about her illness at a Senate hearing Thursday as an example of progress made in battling the disease.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Progress, indeed. It turns out Geraldine Ferraro is feeling relatively well considering her circumstances. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, though, has more on her story and this controversial treatment.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. When you think of thalidomide, you usually don't think of good things, but Ferraro and her doctors attribute much of her progress to the use of the drug. It's not new, but for cancer, it's relatively new. They're hoping that even though it's had a horrible past, perhaps it will have brighter future.

Doctors are excited about thalidomide because in clinical trials, about one-fourth to one-third of the patients who took it showed improvement, and these were patients who were not getting better with chemotherapy. Thalidomide is one of only a few treatments on the horizon for multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood that's particularly deadly. Within five years of diagnosis, half of all patients are dead. Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplantation.

LIN: Do they have any idea why thalidomide might work in this case?

COHEN: They don't have -- they're not absolutely sure, but they do have a theory, and the theory is that it's a drug that causes anti- angiogenesis. What that means is that all tumors need blood in order to survive, in order to get the nutrients and the blood supply that they need. What they think thalidomide might do is cut off that blood supply or at least limit it.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Elizabeth Cohen. We'll be following this story and certainly her testimony before the Senate Thursday. Thank you.

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