Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Germany.
Researchers have now found a new therapeutic approach that is supposed to stop cancer cells from spreading in the body.
Most deaths in Germany can be traced back to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, cancer is the second most common cause of death.
Detected at an early stage, the chances of a cure for many types of cancer are now very high.
But the further the cancer progresses, the higher the risk of mestastasis - that is, the spread of tumor cells via the blood or lymph to other areas or tissues of the body.
Associated with this is the risk that cancer therapy will not be successful.
A group of German researchers now claims to have found a promising approach to prevent the formation of metastases.
In the case of cancer, the earlier the cancer - regardless of whether it is a brain, breast or prostate tumor * - is detected, the better the chances of recovery.
Therefore, cancer screening exams should not be put off.
Medicine is already well advanced in the area of cancer therapies: In addition to sophisticated surgical methods, chemotherapy, radiation, antibody or immunotherapy are available to doctors.
But researchers are not just looking for new, gentle cancer therapies.
To
prevent
advanced cancer stages from occurring in the first place, the focus of the research is also on the cancer cell itself.
A German team of scientists may have found a method that can isolate cancer cells and prevent them from migrating to other areas of the body
.
Preventing cancer metastases: researchers find a new approach
In animal experiments, researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and the Mannheim Medical Faculty found that a certain messenger substance makes it easier for cancer cells to migrate to other parts of the body.
In their study, published in the journal "Cancer Discovery", the researchers confirmed
that cancer cells first migrate to nearby lymph nodes and from there attack other organs.
Tissue samples finally led the researchers to discover that the messenger substance angiopoietin 2, which is produced by cells in the outer wall of lymphatic vessels, supports cancer cells in their migration through the lymphatic system.
When the researchers blocked angiopoietin 2, it led to the death of cancer cells in an experiment in mice.
This also resulted in significantly fewer metastases.
The researchers are confident and can imagine that blocking the messenger substance can also prevent cancer from recurring.
Namely when malignant cancer cells remain in the body after cancer surgery.
So far, however, the method has only been confirmed in animal experiments.
The next step is to test the treatment on people, as reported by Heilpraxisnet, among others.
(jg)
*
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.
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