NEW ERA IN THE WAR ON CANCER

Scottish scientists’ revolutionary treatment a breakthrough – and it works better than chemotherapy

SCIENTISTS have unlocked a remarkable cancer-killing technique that works better than chemotherapy.

Glasgow University researchers found that a novel mix of drugs rouses the body’s natural defences to go to war against rogue cells. Chemo and radiotherapy can be ineffective in many patients because they leave behind traces of cancer which then multiply and develop into new tumours.

But the latest study shows that the immune system can be induced to mop up the remaining cells to prevent the disease returning.

Researchers at the university’s Beatson Institute happened upon the effect as they investigated the efficacy of a new

combination of drugs in mice. Lead investigator Dr Stephen Tait said: ‘In essence, this mechanism has the potential to dramatically improve the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapy and reduce unwanted toxicity.

‘It was serendipitous how it came about but it is a striking effect; very surprising and exciting to witness.

‘We managed to get complete, longterm regression using this approach. As far as our methods tell us, it can kill 100 per cent of cancer cells.

‘I’m very positive about it. I would consider it a breakthrough if we find it also works in actual patients.’

The new method of killing cancer cells, called Caspase Independent Cell Death, is outlined in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

Most chemotherapy works by inciting a protein called caspase which causes cells to self-destruct – a process known as apoptosis.

Chemotherapy drugs are given to patients to destroy tumours, but they often fail to kill all the tumour’s cells so that after receiving the all-clear, someone may get cancer again.

But researchers knocked out a protein in the body that enables chemotherapy to kill tumour cells ‘silently’ without the body noticing.

The new treatment acts as a red flag to the immune system, which kicks in to kill the remaining cancer cells so the tumour is destroyed.

It has only been proven to work in the lab, using human cells, but trials

‘Better way to kill cancer cells’

on people are hoped to start within five years. Researchers say a drug could be available for Britain’s 356,000 cancer patients within a decade.

The treatment was tested in a ‘colorectal cancer model’ so scientists will now test it on other types, including those that are currently difficult to treat, such as lung cancer.

Patients would still experience the same unpleasant side-effects of treatment – including loss of hair and sickness – but there would be a greater chance of sending their cancer into permanent remission.

Cancer Research UK, which funds the Beatson Institute, welcomed the results of the five-year study.

Senior science information officer Dr Justine Alford said: ‘Although many cancer treatments work by triggering apoptosis, that method sometimes fails to finish the job and instead may lead to the tumour becoming harder to treat.

‘This new research suggests there could be a better way to kill cancer cells which also activates the immune system. If further studies confirm it is effective, scientists need to develop ways to trigger this particular route of cell death in humans.’

In 2015, there were 3,671 new cases of colorectal cancer in Scotland and 1,565 deaths. For all types of cancers, 4,227 Scots began chemotherapy while a further 2,583 embarked on radiotherapy, and an unprecedented 16,011 died from the disease.