Antiretroviral drugs, used to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child, are now believed to cause genetic damage in infants. This damage, leading to an increased risk of developing cancer, makes it highly plausible these children may be diagnosed with the disease in mid and late adulthood.

Two new studies indicate there are cancer-causing effects of transplacental exposure to AZT, an antiretroviral drug. These effects -- like increased incidence of tumors and tumors with genetic changes -- have been demonstrated in mice and rats and seem to be cause for concern in humans too.

"The cumulative mutagenesis data suggest that infants exposed transplacentally to AZT may be at increased risk for cancer as they age," said one researcher, whose findings are published in Environment and Molecular Mutagenesis.

A study appearing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reveals there may be something out there that can extend the lives of patients with recurrent prostate cancer.

This something is a new class of anti-cancer targeted drugs that scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles say are quite promising, despite their ineffectiveness in some prostate cancer patients with no previous chemotherapy treatment.

Pertuzumab, a molecular targeted compound that has been used successfully in ovarian cancer patients, has been shown to block the human epidermal growth factor receptor family by binding to and inhibiting the function of HER2 receptors. They essentially block a key pathway that leads to cancer growth. And this blockage can possibly offer a better, longer life for recurrent prostate cancer patients whose diseases no longer respond to traditional chemotherapy.

Pertuzumab, marketed under the brand name Omnitarg by Roche and Genentech, is just one of many targeted cancer therapies that give researchers hope that cancer may one day be a lifetime disease that can be skillfully managed.

At one time, patients with blood cancers were treated with harsh drugs, like interferon or hydroxyurea, yet only two to three percent would ever achieve any sort of remission. Many would suffer such extreme side effects from these drugs they would stop taking the medication early, decreasing even further their potential odds for survival.

The fate of these patients is changing. And the proof is in print -- in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

It all began with the study of a highly targeted molecular therapy called STI571 -- designed to block the genetic aberration that gives rise to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a disease that affects about 6,000 Americans every year. A clinical trial followed, and a compound marketed by the drug company Novartis emerged. Today, this compound is know as Gleevec.

In the clinical trial of Gleevec, 1,106 CML patients were randomly chosen to receive either Gleevec or Interferon. Early results were so encouraging that all but three percent of the participants using Interferon switched to Gleevec. Five-year survival rates were 89 percent. And 93 percent of patients saw no progression to the acute phase of the disease. Many patients witnessed their blood counts return to normal, and a large number experienced a reverse in the gene mutation that causes CML. Virtually no one reported side effects while using the drug.

Despite a rare reaction that can cause heart failure, Gleevec has now been approved by the FDA for the treatment of six other rare, life-threatening disorders. And other drugs similar in nature to Gleevec are hitting the scene. Some believe long-term suppression of CML will come from a cocktail of these types of drugs.

For now, Gleevec -- on its own -- is a success story.