Experimental Cancer treatments and therapy
Cancer is one of the world’s worst diseases and also one of the hardest to treat. Each cancer type is specific and needs a specific treatment, because certain treatments are not compatable with certain patients. Right now there are dozens of cancer treatments that are still being researched or experimented on. Here are some cancer treatments that are currently in their very early stages of experiments or research.
Electromagnetic fields
An electromagnetic field
This treatment deals with electromagnetic fields that are distributed throughout the body. The test patients hold a spoon shaped antenna in their mouth while a low intensity field is delivered. The patients receive this treatment 3 times a day.
This treatment is being experimented on patients with advanced liver cancer. A small number of the test patients receiving this treatment have had a long term survival rate. However they have not done a controlled experiment with this treatment so the survival may just be a fluke of nature.
The research is being led by Dr. Pasche from the University of Alabama. He has stated that the electromagnetic fields being administered in this test are 100-1,000 times lower than the electromagnetic fields that are found in cell phones.
The scientists working on this research are still unsure how the electromagnetic fields affect the cells but the treatment is supposed to shrink tumors while leaving the surrounding tissue unaffected.
Genetically modified white blood Cells
Two white t blood cells
The University of Pennsylvania is currently leading a study using genetically modified white-t blood cells and a harmless HIV virus to help cure a type of Leukemia called Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). The only other known cure known now is a bone marrow transplant, which can be a very painful and messy procedure.
The treatment was only tested on three patients with CLL, two of which have been cancer free since the treatment, the third losing 70% of the cancer initially found in their body. This treatment is still in its very early days of research and the tests that have been done with this research are so far, in an uncontrolled environment.
The T-cells have been genetically modified to target the cancer cells and stay in the body for months after treatment is given. The researchers that developed this cell added a gene that would make these cells multiply wildly throughout the body and also made a memory-t cell that would know what to do if the cancer were to return. The HIV virus has been combined with the T-Cell to create this cancer killing cell. This kind of therapy is called gene therapy treatment.
The white t-cells are very aggressive, removing pounds of CLL in a test patient’s body. 1 t-cell can eradicate 1,000 cancer cells. However this treatment does come with some side effects. The modified T-cells have been known to attack normal b-cells (another white blood cell found in the human body) and tumor lysis syndrome can occur, which is a complication that is caused by the breakdown of cancer cells.
Experts who are not connected with this research have said that this kind of research is very important because the White blood cell used for this treatment can be tweaked to kill a range of other cancers and diseases.
Therapeutic Cancer Virus
An oncolytic virus in action against a cancer cell
A study currently being done in the Ottawa Hospital Research is using a form of form of the virus vaccinia called JX-594 that has been genetically engineered to enhance the natural anti-cancer properties the virus had. JX-594 was developed by Jennerex Inc., a Biotheraputics company.
The first phase of the tests was done on 23 patients who had cancer that had spread to multiple organs. The patients were divided into different groups with each group receiving different amounts of the vaccine. 7 of the 8 patients in the highest dose group had evidence of the virus in place and replicating in the tumors and not in the patients’ normal tissues. The lower dose groups saw fewer effects compared to the high dose group. The only side effect currently found with this treatment is moderate flu-like symptoms that generally up to one day. Phase 2 of this experiment is being aimed at patients with end stage liver cancer, and some of the test patients that were given this treatment have demonstrated an statiscally important benefit in the patient’s overall survival.
The researchers were surprised that the virus was already starting to shrink tumors found inside the patients since the testing for this treatment is in it’s earliest stage and all they were hoping to see was that the virus was safe to use.
Therapeutic cancer treatments are new form of cancer treatments that can be advantageous because the therapeutic cancer virus can be sent through the blood stream and attack the tumor while leaving the healthy tissue alone.
The first phase of the tests was done on 23 patients who had cancer that had spread to multiple organs. The patients were divided into different groups with each group receiving different amounts of the vaccine. 7 of the 8 patients in the highest dose group had evidence of the virus in place and replicating in the tumors and not in the patients’ normal tissues. The lower dose groups saw fewer effects compared to the high dose group. The only side effect currently found with this treatment is moderate flu-like symptoms that generally up to one day. Phase 2 of this experiment is being aimed at patients with end stage liver cancer, and some of the test patients that were given this treatment have demonstrated an statiscally important benefit in the patient’s overall survival.
The researchers were surprised that the virus was already starting to shrink tumors found inside the patients since the testing for this treatment is in it’s earliest stage and all they were hoping to see was that the virus was safe to use.
Therapeutic cancer treatments are new form of cancer treatments that can be advantageous because the therapeutic cancer virus can be sent through the blood stream and attack the tumor while leaving the healthy tissue alone.
The Personalized Medicine Program
A human's DNa sequence.
Genome BC and the BC cancer foundation are currently working together to develop a program that can take the guesswork out of cancer treatments. To provide the most effective treatment, oncologists need to know which treatment the patient would respond to the best.
In order for this to happen, the patient’s genetic cancer signature must be accessed through their genomic sequence. This would help oncologists determine whether a cancer patient should be given chemotherapy, stem-cell therapy etc. If this program can be developed it would allow doctors to save the valuable time the cancer patient has left.
In order for this to happen, the patient’s genetic cancer signature must be accessed through their genomic sequence. This would help oncologists determine whether a cancer patient should be given chemotherapy, stem-cell therapy etc. If this program can be developed it would allow doctors to save the valuable time the cancer patient has left.
These different treatments and programs are all in their early stages of development and experiments. It is most likely that some of them will never make the market or if they do, it will not be for another 10+ years. So if you are looking for cancer treatments today, your safest bet will still be with chemotherapy radiation, or other cancer treatments that your oncologist can reccomend.
References
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/08/electromagnetic-fields-could-stop-cancer
http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/hiv-virus-used-to-turn-white-blood-cells-into-cancer-serial-killers-20110811/
http://www.bioscreening.net/2011/08/31/canadian-made-virus-shows-promise-as-cancer-treatment/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237319.php
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Groundbreaking+test+help+personalize+cancer+treatment+regimen/5048442/story.html
http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/hiv-virus-used-to-turn-white-blood-cells-into-cancer-serial-killers-20110811/
http://www.bioscreening.net/2011/08/31/canadian-made-virus-shows-promise-as-cancer-treatment/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237319.php
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Groundbreaking+test+help+personalize+cancer+treatment+regimen/5048442/story.html