The Ed.
Well-Known Member
Recent animal tests suggest that Botox may be able to play a role in the treatment of stomach cancer. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine revealed that nerves were aiding the growth of stomach cancers.
Using Botox to paralyse the nerves can halt the growth of the tumours and make them more susceptible to chemotherapy. The treatment usually reserved for maintaining a youthful appearance by disrupting the nerves to relax wrinkles is tentatively being tested as a possible treatment for cancers.
One of the scientists at Columbia University Medical Centre, in New York, Dr Timothy Wang, told the BBC: "If you just cut nerves is it going to cure cancer? Probably not.
"At least in early phase, if you [disrupt the nerve] the tumour becomes much more responsive to chemotherapy, so we don't see this as a single cure, but making current and future treatments more effective."
Some human trials have begun and there is research to suggest that nerves have a role in prostate cancer too.
However, Dr Wang acknowledged that there was a long way to go before this could be considered a treatment.
"With everything new in cancer, even if it looks great, when you start to roll it out to patients it always seems cancer is smarter than we are.
"Tumours have the ability to out-evolve any single agent, knocking one leg of a stool is probably not going to topple it.
"But I think this has a lot of potential and in a decade or two I can see these pathways being targeted."
Eleanor Barrie, senior science communications manager at Cancer Research UK, said, "Over the last few years, some evidence has emerged that certain stomach cancers might depend on signals from the nervous system to grow.
"This interesting study adds to that evidence, and shows how probing the inner workings of cancer can spark ideas for innovative new treatments. But the research is at an early stage and it's not yet clear if this particular approach could help to save patients' lives."
Until then...geek on!
The Ed.
Using Botox to paralyse the nerves can halt the growth of the tumours and make them more susceptible to chemotherapy. The treatment usually reserved for maintaining a youthful appearance by disrupting the nerves to relax wrinkles is tentatively being tested as a possible treatment for cancers.
One of the scientists at Columbia University Medical Centre, in New York, Dr Timothy Wang, told the BBC: "If you just cut nerves is it going to cure cancer? Probably not.
"At least in early phase, if you [disrupt the nerve] the tumour becomes much more responsive to chemotherapy, so we don't see this as a single cure, but making current and future treatments more effective."
Some human trials have begun and there is research to suggest that nerves have a role in prostate cancer too.
However, Dr Wang acknowledged that there was a long way to go before this could be considered a treatment.
"With everything new in cancer, even if it looks great, when you start to roll it out to patients it always seems cancer is smarter than we are.
"Tumours have the ability to out-evolve any single agent, knocking one leg of a stool is probably not going to topple it.
"But I think this has a lot of potential and in a decade or two I can see these pathways being targeted."
Eleanor Barrie, senior science communications manager at Cancer Research UK, said, "Over the last few years, some evidence has emerged that certain stomach cancers might depend on signals from the nervous system to grow.
"This interesting study adds to that evidence, and shows how probing the inner workings of cancer can spark ideas for innovative new treatments. But the research is at an early stage and it's not yet clear if this particular approach could help to save patients' lives."
Until then...geek on!
The Ed.
