‘Glowing’ breakthrough in cancer fight

LONDON: It’s a breakthrough in cancer care — make cancer cells glow inside the body and hit them hard. Researchers at the Oregon State University have developed a new way to selectively insert compounds into such cells — a system that will help surgeons identify malignant tissues and then, in combination with phototherapy, kill any remaining cancer cells after a tumour is removed.

“If it glows, cut it out,” is the mantra. In laboratory tests, it completely prevented cancer recurrence after phototherapy. “This is kind of a double attack that could significantly improve the success of cancer surgeries,” said Oleh Taratula from the OSU College of Pharmacy. “With this approach, cancerous cells and tumours will literally glow and fluoresce when exposed to near-infrared light, giving the surgeon a precise guide about what to remove. That same light will activate compounds in the cancer cells that will kill any malignant cells that remain. It’s an exciting new approach to help surgery succeed,” Taratula added.

The findings have shown remarkable success in lab animals. The concept should allow more accurate surgical removal of solid tumours and at the same time it eradicates any remaining cancer cells.

Technology such as this, scientists said, may have a promising future in the identification and surgical removal of malignant tumours.