Antifungal medication will help in the treatment of brain cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In people exposed to the most severe form of cancer - gioblastoma, their own immune cells have virtually no effect on tumor development, i.e. Immunity in cancers in the body simply ceases to perform its direct function of protecting the body. Specialists from Canada after several experiments have established that it is necessary to push the immune cells of the brain, to restore their vital functions and fight against cancer cells.
With modern methods of treating the most aggressive form of cancer, which can last about 15 months, only half of the patients remain alive. In the treatment methods of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgical intervention are used. Moreover, even removal of the tumor with subsequent use of drugs does not contribute to life expectancy, less than 5% of people with gyoblastoma live more than five years.
In the human brain, they produce their own special immune cells, microglia. The action of such cells is the directed destruction of infections, as well as protection against injury. Tumor of the brain, like most other forms of cancers, develops with the appearance of BTICs-cells, the development of which occurs at a rapid pace, resulting in a cancerous tumor.
In the course of their research, scientists from Canada first decided to test in the laboratory conditions the interaction of protective cells of the body (immunocytes) and pathological cancer cells. For this purpose, specialists extracted tumor cells in people with gyoblastoma and their immune cells, and also scientists took samples of immune cells of healthy people. As a result, scientists found that the immunocytes of their own production of patients with cancers practically did not suppress the development of pathological cells, while healthy cells immunocytes coped with this task much better. After this, it was decided to try to restore the viability of their own immune cells in patients with malignant tumors with the drug Amphotericin B.
The second experiment, carried out by the researchers, consisted of clinical tests on laboratory animals. To the rodents, human cancer cells were introduced, after a certain period of time, the scientists tested the effect of Amphotericin B on sick mice. As it turned out, the drug has the ability to restore the defenses of the body, while limiting the growth of the tumor. The rodents who participated in the study lived twice as much, and the rate of development of cancer cells slowed them down.
The drug Amphotericin B is used to treat severe fungal lesions of the spinal cord and brain. According to the lead author of the study, Wee-yun, gene therapy combined with scientific advances in modern conditions shows how it is possible to activate human immune forces, and with much greater efficiency. Experts suggest that the results obtained during the study will help in the fight against other forms of cancers. In the future, the research team expects to study in more detail all the possible side effects that the drug may give.
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