The advances in cancer research continue to increase.
Now a diarrhea drug is showing promising study results.
Brain tumors
often lead to
death
in
cancer patients
.
Now researchers are celebrating a
new finding
.
A diarrhea drug
kills tumor cells
.
Kassel - The risk of
dying
from
cancer has
continued to decline within the European Union in recent years - if you take the age structure of the population into account, scientists write in the specialist magazine "Annals of Oncology".
Scientists are now celebrating a
supposed breakthrough in cancer therapy
.
The reason: A diarrhea drug is delivering promising study results.
The most common types of cancer are:
Breast cancer
Prostate cancer
Colon cancer
Lung cancer
Skin cancer
cervical cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Brain tumors often lead to the death of cancer patients
So far,
brain tumors in the form of a so-called
glioblastoma
can only be treated to a very limited extent.
They often lead
to the death of the cancer patient
.
However, these brain tumors react to
loperamide
, as researchers have now found out in a recent study, reports heilpraxisnet.de.
"In cell culture, the common anti-diarrheal agent, loperamide, works against glioblastoma cells," says a message from Goethe University in Frankfurt.
In cell culture, the anti-diarrheal agent loperamide acts against glioblastoma cells.
A research team from the Goethe University has now clarified the mechanism of action of the agent & shown how the agent could support the treatment of brain tumors.
More ➡️ https://t.co/fFzfBeklK2
- Goethe University (@goetheuni) December 21, 2020
A study by the research team of Dr.
Sjoerd van Wijk from the Institute for Experimental Tumor Research in Pediatrics at Goethe University Frankfurt is now delivering the first results.
Cancer research: Loperamide leads to stress reactions in tumor cells
Accordingly, loperamide causes
stress reactions
in certain tumor cells in the so-called endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
It is a cell organelle.
It is responsible for various steps in protein synthesis, it said.
The stress that is triggered causes the
cancer cells to die
.
Scientists refer to the process of death as
autophagy
.
It is an automatic mechanism to "recycle" cells.
The mechanism separates damaged and superfluous cells from "still good" cell parts.
The body recycles the good and lets the bad
die
.
Cancer tumors are not destroyed by simply taking loperamide
With the use of loperamide, so much is
broken down
in certain tumor cells during
"recycling"
that the entire cells die.
There is nothing left in the process for the cells to survive.
This is the case with
brain tumors
in the form of a glioblastoma.
However,
cancer tumors
are
not simply destroyed
by simply taking
loperamide
.
"This autophagy is harmless in normal cells - also for use as a diarrhea remedy, because loperamide only works at special binding sites in the intestine and is not really absorbed by intestinal cells," explains Dr.
van Wijk.
Scientists celebrate success in cancer research
Nevertheless: The fact that loperamide could be used against brain tumors is a very important finding in
cancer research
.
In addition, doctors could possibly use the drug against
other cancers
and against
dementia
.
Loperamide
can have the following side effects:
a headache
dizziness
constipation
nausea
Flatulence
sleepiness
stomach pain
Dry mouth
Vomit
Indigestion
Rashes
Only recently had researchers discovered a connection between cancer and corona.
(Jan Wendt)