Researchers from the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai claimed to have developed a new drug that can prevent resurgence of cancer. In one of its recent studies, the researchers found that dying cancer cells release cell-free chromatin particles during radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and these particles bind to the healthy cells, turning them into cancerous ones.
The decade-long study has suggested that a combination of resveratrol (a chemopreventive agent that inhibits cancer growth) and copper, used in miniscule doses can help combat metastasis or the spread of cancer cells beyond the primary site. In a study titled RESCU 001, researchers found that this can reduce the transplant-related toxicities in patients with multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells), the researchers have stated.
The study conducted by Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education (ACTREC) of TMC suggests that the chemotherapy, radiotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment protocols must include drugs, agents to deactivate, destroy cell-free chromatin particles released by treated, dying cancer cells. The cell-free chromatin particles or cfChPs, which are fragments of chromosomes can fuse with healthy cells to form tumors, further causing metastasis, the researchers have said.
Need for new protocol in cancer treatment
Researchers of the study have pointed out that with the new findings, cancer treatment protocols may now need to include drugs that are capable of destroying or deactivating cfChPs.
Addressing media recently about the research, senior oncologists and researchers from TMC said that these findings have important implications for cancer treatment policies. “First, clinicians need to consider cfChPs as a potential cause of metastatic cancer spread, rather than metastasis being caused by migrating cancer cells. Secondly, cancer treatment protocols may need to include drugs/agents that deactivate/destroy cfChPs,” the researchers said.
Drug to reduce chemotoxicity, prevent resurgence
Researchers of the study have developed a drug, a pro-oxidant combination of resveratrol and copper, that generates oxygen radicals, which can attack the cfChPs, preventing the invasion of healthy cells and reducing chemotherapy-related toxicity.
Researchers grafted human breast cancer cells in immune-deficient mice to generate tumors after which the mice were administered chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. Half of the mice also received agents that can destroy cfChPs. The mice which had received these agents were found to have minimal cancer proteins in their brains.
The study has reaffirmed the TMC ACTREC pre-clinical findings. However, the findings have to be confirmed in a large, randomized trial.
Implications of the study: What do oncologists say?
Dr Niti Raizada, Senior Director of Medical Oncology and Hemato Oncology, Fortis Hospital, Bangalore commenting on the findings of the study, says that while it is not standard chemotherapy or radiation which causes cell-free chromatin, there is cell-free circulating tumor DNA which happens because of the tumour.
“This is what shows up as cancer later on- this is the basic philosophy of cancer. Whatever you see is the gross disease but what you don’t see are microscopic cells which are known as circulating tumor cells, or it could be circulating tumor DNA or cell-free circulating tumor DNA. These are normally the things in your body which can, at a later point in time, present as metastatic disease,” she says.
Dr Raizada says that oncologists have long pondered the benefits of continuous therapy to prevent a recurrence. “Once you have treated the cancer, the need is to prevent recurrences. One of the ideas towards this, which the researchers have proposed in the new study, is this compound which can keep the disease under control for a longer time. They have tried it in rat models and some humans and they found it effective,” Dr Raizada says.
Dr Raizada adds that larger studies need to be conducted before one can conclusively say that this is useful.
Takeaways
Dying cancer cells generated through treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery could be contributing to the development of new tumors in the body, as per a recent researcher from Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai. The researchers have claimed to develop a new drug that can combat chemotoxicity and prevent the resurgence of cancer. Oncologists say larger studies need to be conducted.
