Cancer is the most dangerous disease against which mankind is fighting for a long time. Unfortunately most of the time, cancer wins the fight and human life have to go in the darkness of death. Scientists are trying hard and they become successful to some extent but till today, we are afraid from cancer as we don’t have any surety in terms of medical treatment.
Cancer is basically a collection of related diseases. We can’t termed it as a single, specific disease. Every type of cancer has its own symptoms but basic fact is same in all types of cancer i.e. some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and spread into surrounding tissues. Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body and we know that our whole body is made up of trillions of cells.
It is a fact that in last few decades we have overcome this disease, although to a little extent but human beings are on their way to defeat cancer one day. According to American Cancer Society, the death rate from cancer in the US has declined steadily over the past 2 decades. The cancer death rate for men and women fell 20% from its peak in 1991 to 2010. This article is aimed to review the major breakthroughs in year 2015 in the field of cancer treatment.
Cancer Treatment Breakthroughs 2015
You can find breakthroughs in cancer treatment below:
Fratricidins – Cancer That Kills Cancer
In October 2015, a team of researchers made an astonishing discovery. They have applied antibodies to acute myeloid leukemia cells. They managed to turn malignant cells into something far more desirable i.e. helpful dendritic cells. These cells play not only a key supporters role in the body’s immune system, but when pushed even further they developed into cells that closely resembled the body’s natural killer cells.
Scientists were surprised to see that the newly formed cells began to attack the surrounding leukemia cells. The cells were purely fratricidal as they were only attacking the leukemia cells they had been derived from. This discovery is amazing and incredibly useful as the main drawback of many cancer treatment is the potential damage to surrounding healthy cells.
This discovery was the major breakthrough in year 2015. Now the research team along with pharmaceutical companies, aiming to bring the treatment to humans after the appropriate preclinical toxicity studies.
Borrowed Cells, Astonishing Results
The first patient to receive a new, experimental but successful treatment for leukemia cells was an infant girl, who was not even one year old at the time of her treatment. This little girl had an extremely aggressive form of cancer, and after several rounds of treatment, that there were no options left for their daughter. So they allowed the doctors to try a new treatment which had been demonstrated only in a laboratory.
Inside the laboratory, treatment was very successful and researchers were exited when the treatment was equally effective in Layla. Doctors simply called it a miracle as her body was rid of the leukemia and she was able to go home after a bone marrow transplant.
Malaria Can be Cancer Killer
Malaria, a blood borne disease caused by a parasite and spread through mosquito. Another major breakthrough of year 2015 was made by a group of Danish researchers. They identified certain aspects of Malaria that would spell doom for cancerous tumors. They have taken the clue from the fact that malaria is dangerous to expecting mothers because the parasite may attack the placenta.
The researchers observed several similarities between placentas and tumors, leading them to attach a cancer-killing toxin to the malaria protein. And they were surprised as it was up to 90 percent effective in destroying various cancer samples. They have successfully tested it in mice. The researchers explained that the malaria protein attached only to the tumor, without any significant attachment to other tissue. Scientists are hopeful it will be a big step up for cancer treatment in coming years.
Olive Oil and Cancer
Olive oil as we all know, is great to eat, great for hair and skin. But according to a team of researchers from Rutgers University and Hunter College, its qualities have been extended to standing up to cancer. Olive oil was shown to eradicate cancer cells in less than an hour.
In another experiment, Oleocanthal, a primary phenolic compound in extra-virgin olive oil had destroyed the waste centers of cancer cells, which destabilized them and caused death within 30 to 60 minutes. Healthy cells stayed intact during the process and that was a big win with cancer. So it is good to use olive oil as compulsory part of your diet.
Immune System, Version 2.0
Immunotherapy is actually the use of a patient’s own immune system in order to treat an infection or disease. The University of Maryland Medical Center achieved a big victory in this year i.e. the researchers have produced a promising response in cancer patients using a form of immunotherapy. 70 percent of patients showed a significant clinical response to the therapy.
It involved researchers genetically engineering T cells to contain a receptor for a tumor antigen. The antigen is present in about 60 percent of patients with advanced myeloma, and the engineering quipped the T cells to spot and destroy the cancer cells. As no major side effects were reported in the patients so it can be concluded that the treatment not only works, but also have little health risk. According to researchers, this therapy can replace the painful chemo.