A study has been circulating the internet reporting that chemotherapy can damage healthy cells, triggering them to sustain tumor growth and resist further treatment. However, it is still the most commonly used method to treat cancers. Should we stop using chemotherapy?
Researcher Peter Nelson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle called the discovery “completely unexpected” when his team found evidence of DNA damage in healthy cells of men with prostate cancer after they had undergone chemotherapy treatment.
Chemotherapy inhibits reproduction of fast-dividing cells, found in tumors, but can also affect healthy cells (which causes hair loss and other common side effects associated with chemo). The newly damaged cells secreted a protein called WNT16B that actually boosted cancer cell survival.
“WNT16B, when secreted, would interact with the nearby tumor cells and cause them to grow, invade, and importantly, resist subsequent therapy,” said Nelson.
This finding may explain why, in chemotherapy, tumors often respond well initially, then regrow rapidly and resist further chemotherapy. This discovery has been confirmed in breast and ovarian cancer tumors.
Nelson hopes that the study will pave the way for new, improved cancer treatment. “For example, an antibody to WNT16B [could be] given with chemotherapy, [and] may improve responses (kill more cells)” he said in an email exchange.
This startling new discovery could be the start of a new era of cancer treatment and may explain common cancer issues such as relapse and the lack of response to chemotherapy.
This study was published on AFP
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