Cancer develops due to genetic mutations in normal human tissue, leading to enhanced cell proliferation, an ability to evade cellular death, and the eventual development of a harmful tumor. Several current cancer therapies seek to excise cancerous growth, halt cancer cell proliferation and induce cancer cell death. However, several therapies also harm healthy tissues in the body, leading to harmful side effects. Cancer research has led to the development of innovative new cancer therapies that may eventually allow doctors to treat cancer with minimal side effects, selectively inhibit cancer cell growth, and protect against cancer development.
Nanotube Drug Delivery
One promising treatment for cancer therapy uses nanotechnology--small molecular tubes used to deliver drugs into cancer cells. Normal drug therapy for cancer often involves ingesting or injecting the drug, and allowing the medication to travel throughout the body in the bloodstream. As a result, every cell in the body becomes exposed to cancer drugs, which can lead to harmful side effects of treatment such as hair loss or bone marrow damage. Nanotube drug delivery uses molecular tubes packed with anti-cancer drugs, attached to molecules that attract the drug to cancer cells. As a result, nanotubes can selectively enter cancer cells, release the cancer drug and lead to cancer cell death. A study published in "Cancer Research" in 2008 reports that nanotubes have been successfully used in lab experiments to deliver the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, effectively treating breast cancer in mice. Further research into nanotubes as a vehicle for cancer drug delivery may lead to the development of new and effective cancer treatments.
Gene Knockdown Therapy
Another promising cancer treatment is gene knockdown therapy. Cell growth is governed by two large classifications of genes: oncogenes, which drive cancer development, and tumor suppressors, that prevent cancer growth. Several cancer cells develop an overactivation of cancerous oncogenes, leading to an overproduction of proteins that drive cancer growth. Gene knockdown therapies seek to reverse this over-production of cancer-causing proteins, essentially turning off proliferative signals in cancer cells. Although gene knockdown therapies are still in early stages of development, a study published in "Leukemia" in 2009 indicates that knockdown therapy of the CCDC50 gene may present an effective treatment for some forms of leukemia and lymphoma.
Cancer Vaccine
Cancer vaccines represent another promising cancer treatment, which may eventually be used to treat existing cancers or to protect against future cancer development, according to the National Cancer Institute. Some forms of cancer develop as a result of viral infections, with viral proteins driving abnormal cell growth that can eventually lead to cancerous tumor development. Cancer vaccines can help the body prevent infections from cancer-causing viruses, therefore preventing cancer development as a result of infection. As of September 2010, the Food and Drug Administration has approved cancer vaccines designed to protect against the hepatitis B virus and human papiloma virus, which are linked to liver and cervical cancer, respectively. Continued research into the development of cancer vaccines may eventually allow doctors to help protect against several forms of cancer, as well as help in the treatment of existing cancer growth.
References
- "Cancer Research"; Drug delivery with carbon nanotubes for in vivo cancer treatment; Zhuang Liu et al.; Aug. 15, 2008
- "Leukemia"; Gene knockdown studies revealed CCDC50 as a candidate gene in mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia; A. Farfsing et al.; 2009
- National Cancer Institute: Cancer Vaccines
