Exploring Less Toxic Cancer Treatments

Yogen Saunthararajah, MD, of the Taussig Cancer Institute, led a study that suggests cancer could be treated in a novel way that is much less toxic to healthy cells. Dr. Saunthararajah and his team altered an existing chemotherapy drug to stop the growth of cancer cells and encourage the growth of healthy cells. Current treatments kill both cancer cells and healthy cells, which leads to numerous side effects. Dr. Saunthararajah’s team found that the mechanisms that cause cancer cells to divide and grow uncontrollably are often different from the mechanisms that drive the growth of healthy stem-cells. This difference can be exploited to selectively stop the growth of the cancer cells. The alternative approach has not yet been tried in humans, but the team hopes to start clinical trials soon.