Chemotherapy 'undermines itself'

[dipsydoodle]

Chemotherapy can undermine itself by causing a rogue response in healthy cells, which could explain why people become resistant, a study suggests.

The treatment loses effectiveness for a significant number of patients with secondary cancers.

Writing in Nature Medicine, US experts said chemo causes wound-healing cells around tumours to make a protein that helps the cancer resist treatment.

A UK expert said the next step would be to find a way to block this effect.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19111700

[longship]

1. Interesting. Would like to see where this goes. nt

Rec'd

[xchrom]

2. Huh. Interesting. Nt

[NoMoreWarNow]

3. "rogue response"?

Chemo is poison-- of course your body tries to mount a defense to it.

[bemildred]

4. Ya think?

It is a desperate expedient, much of the time.

[Jim Lane]

5. Yes, it is a desperate expedient, but often the right choice.

We already knew that chemo doesn't always work, and the linked article is about the further research on that subject.

For many people, though, the choice is between a desperate expedient and no hope at all. My oncologist told me that, for my form of cancer, the treatment a few decades ago consisted of giving the patient morphine to ease his final days. Instead, I went through the vomiting and all the rest of it, and here I am -- eleven years cancer-free.

[bemildred]

6. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's just what you do because you can't just do nothing.

There are many like you, I'm not saying there are not.

I'm not saying never consider it, I'm saying think about it first, do your own research, is this really going to help, or is it just for "hope"? I could tell stories too, unpleasant futile ones.

Glad you made it, that must feel good.