Drugs could eliminate side effects of cancer treatment

Radiotherapy for cancer is often debilitating but also necessary, so anything that can help improve side effects is a huge step forward. Hats off to the scientists of Newcastle University who have developed a simple and unique treatment that can prevent the long-term side effects of cancer radiotherapy.

There are around two million cancer survivors in the UK, many of whom face premature memory loss and various conditions resembling premature ageing, for which there is unfortunately no cure.

This is thought to be due to the side effects of toxic cancer chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which treat cancerous cells but can also damage normal cells.

The researchers wanted to know if they could prevent these devastating consequences of cancer therapies via a short course of treatment with senolytics, a class of drugs that specifically eliminate cells damaged by cancer therapies.

They tested the idea in mice and found that those treated with senolytic drugs soon after radiation therapy did not develop premature aging, and animals treated after they began to age prematurely also showed improved health. .

Dr Satomi Miwa, lecturer at the Biology of aging, Newcastle The university that led the research said: “A growing number of people are now being successfully treated for cancer, and survival rates for many types of cancer are high. People who had overcome cancers can start looking forward to their new life again, but only if their quality of life will not be affected.

“Unfortunately, this is the case at the moment. However, our new research shows that there is a way to prevent any long-term side effects and reduce the risk of cancer recurrence,” she added.

What are senolytics? The word: stands for “destroying age” and it’s an exciting development in the biology of aging. The drugs kill senile cells and have been shown to delay, and in some cases cure, age-related diseases or disabilities in mice.

Worst Brain Survivor Therapies: Currently, a dozen clinical trials using different senolytic drugs in humans are underway against conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis (pulmonary fibrosis), diabetic kidney disease, and osteoarthritis.

The Newcastle group intends to continue the research as Dr Miwa explained, “We want to test our approach specifically on cancer types and move to a clinical setting as quickly as possible. We are particularly interested in childhood brain tumor survivors, as they are the group of people most affected by the long-term side effects of cancer therapies.

The study gives new hope to people who receive cancer treatments to ensure a better quality of life for the rest of their lives.