Nine out of ten deaths caused by cancer are due to metastasis. A process by which cancer cells spread from the tumor area to different organs of the body, greatly reducing the chances of successful treatment. A historical gap that could have ended after a group of US scientists from Cornell University Desa Rolla seen proteins able to attract and kill cancer cells when they are already in the blood.
This significant medical breakthrough, that could reduce cancer mortality by 90%, and has been successfully tested in human blood samples and in laboratory mice by injecting nanoparticles directly into your bloodstream. A treatment which prevents the spread of cancer to other organs healthy cells and, unlike the before now used, is not harmful to the body, the study trail-coated leukocytes that kill cancer cells in the circulation, published in the prestigious scientific journal proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and advanced by the British newspaper The Telegraph.
The results of tests on human blood performed have been positive, but still need to test the treatment in patients estate.
Time detection of cancer is a key to ensuring their cure before its too late factor.With this new treatment, scientists say is a must win to save a high percentage of deaths today after reaching the stage of metastasis time.Currently, surgery and radiotherapy are effective in the treatment of tumors in the early stages of the disease, but it is difficult to detect often the most advanced cancer in other parts of the body, until, it is too late for treatment.
Destructive effects in just two hours
The rector of the new method, described in the study published in PNAS, initially focuses on protein binding to cancer-killing white blood cells.When a cancer cell comes into contact with these adhesive proteins, thanks to the rapid flow of blood, are almost completely eliminated.The chances of the cancer cells to escape the destructive effect of nanoparticles are virtually nil due to STI adhesive capacity and speed of the bloodstream, according to the findings obtained in the laboratory by Michael King, professor of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering, and main author study.
The protein called ‘Trail’ has shown, according to the researchers, “some quite remarkable results in both tests in mice and human blood, because after two hours of action have tumor cells literally disintegrated.” A method, added, is more effective than injecting liposomes directly into the cancer cells or soluble protein.
A great hope in the absence of clinical trials
These new nanoparticles could be injected prior to surgery to remove the tumor or radiotherapy, as it would propagate prevent tumor cells through the rest of the body from the main tumor, thereby affecting other vital organs: such as the brain or kidneys.Likewise, also it could be used in patients with very aggressive tumors spread to prevent STIs.
Professor king acknowledged that further research is needed,especially in patients, “Whether the technique to verify could really stop the spread of cancer in humans” and clinically implement extra treatment.However, the first tests are encouraging because these nanoparticles do not damage the immune system or other blood cells.