Direct Treatment of Source Cancer Cell Could Cure Cancer?

Are these cells the source of cancer growth??

The toxic side effects of cancer treatment through chemotherapy and radiation lead to serious and very unpleasant side effects. Physicians now identified a new target for therapy. This is a so-called cell of origin, which could serve as an approach for the treatment of cancer in the future.

Researchers at the University of Salford have come to the conclusion in their current study that successful identification of a cancer cell of origin could greatly improve the potential for successful treatment of the disease. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Frontiers in Oncology".

Does the identification of a so-called cell of origin of cancer enable an optimized treatment of the disease in the future? (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com)

How is cancer being treated right now??

The side effects of chemo and radiation in the treatment of cancer are often terrible for the patients. Despite the treatment, there is still a risk that the cancer will recur and tumors spread in the body. If cancer can not be excised by surgery, the infected cells are burned by radiation or poisoned by chemotherapy. Cancer remains a terrifying diagnosis for patients, and treatment options are limited.

Why are many anti-cancer drugs not effective??

About 95 to 98 percent of new cancer drugs actually fail in Phase III clinical trials, the phase in which new therapies are compared to existing therapies, the researchers say. Most medications do not target the cause of the disease: the cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells, also called tumor-initiating cells, are the only cells in the tumor that can form a new tumor. New therapies that specifically target and eliminate these cancer stem cells are needed to prevent the growth and spread of tumors, explain the physicians. In the current investigation, the experts now seem to have found such a goal. Cells have been identified and subsequently isolated in different types of cancer, which are referred to as the cell of origin.

These cancer cells initiate uncontrolled cell proliferation?

The experiments on cancer cells derived from a human breast tumor have shown that stem cells, which make up 0.2 percent of the cancer cell population, have particular characteristics. They generate enormous amounts of energy and spread rapidly. The physicians believe that they resemble the source cancer cell that escaped aging, the natural process of cell aging and cell death. It is believed that these are the first cancerous cells to initiate the process of uncontrolled cell proliferation and cause the formation of tumors.

Will there be drugs specifically against cancer stem cells soon??

These cancer stem cells undergo growth, which is also called suspension, so it comes to metastasis, a spread of cancer through the blood vessels and lymphatics. These properties represent a new target for cancer therapy, the authors of the study explain. After the cancer stem cells have been identified, and how they behave, it should be relatively easy to develop drugs for cancer stem cells, the doctors add. In their study, the scientists have already shown that the cells can easily be targeted with a mitochondrial inhibitor or a cell cycle inhibitor such as ribociclib, which could prevent their proliferation. This ultimately means that focusing on cancerous stem cell energy may offer much more targeted treatment. Eventually, it will eventually be possible for cancer to be transformed into a manageable chronic disease such as diabetes, the doctors say. (As)