Jennifer Matthews: Marilyn Cohn was shocked when her doctor told her what was in the cards.
Marilyn Cohn: He said, I had lung cancer, and right to my face, he said, you have one year to live.
Jennifer Matthews: That news thousands of patients hear each year. Now researchers are working to change that with this drug.
Pierre Massion: We hope that we'll be able to prevent cancer from happening, which would be a major breakthrough.
Jennifer Matthews: Iloprost works by boosting levels of a compound called PGI2, which lung cancer patients have low levels of. It shrank tumors in mice by more than 70%. Now it's being tested in people at risk for the disease, those with pre-cancerous lesions like Bob Gamper.
Bob Gamper: The good news is that yes, I'm now part of the study and the bad news is of course, is now I'm part of the study.
Jennifer Matthews: Bob smoked for 22 years.
Bob Gamper: It was just a great mode of recreation, drinking and smoking. I'm a party guy; what can I say?
Jennifer Matthews: But the party doesn't last forever.
Bob Gamper: I can leave this today and be hit by a bus, I think I would prefer that to developing lung cancer, because I watched my father-in-law die of lung cancer, and it's very unpleasant.
Jennifer Matthews: Marilyn beat the odds. Eight years later she's still in the game, and if science comes through millions of other patients may never have to deal with a bad hand. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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