• X-ray beam boosts cancer therapy
X-rays could kick-start genes into fighting cancer, research suggests. Cancer Research UK scientists have used gene therapy to enhance the effects of radiotherapy and to encourage cancer cells to commit suicide. By using a precise x-ray beam, they ensured the treatment killed only cancerous cells, leaving healthy ones untouched. The research is published in the Journal of Gene Medicine. It is now planned to start clinical trials. The researchers, based at the University of Ulster in Newtownabbey, used gene therapy to increase levels of a nitric oxide in tumour cells. Nitric oxide performs a range of important functions in the body, but can also kill cancer cells, and enhance the effect of radiotherapy treatment. Raising levels of the molecule throughout the body could be dangerous, so the researchers incorporated a "switch" to make it possible to turn the gene on only in cancer cells. The trigger for the switch was exposure to an x-ray beam used routinely in radiotherapy. The technique was tested in the laboratory on bowel cancer and fibrosarcomas - tumours in the fibrous tissue which holds bones, muscles, and other organs in place. Lead researcher Professor David Hirst said: "We saw up to a two-fold increase in the effectiveness of radiotherapy on tumours. "That means doctors could achieve the same radiotherapy benefit using much less radiation than they would otherwise use, so reducing the side effects of treatment. "Alternatively, they could use the same dose of radiation and kill more cancer cells." The researchers also measured the amounts of nitric oxide in both cancerous and normal cells to see how well they had been able to target the gene therapy. They found that production of the molecule had only been enhanced in tumour cells and the cells immediately surrounding them. Professor Hirst said: "Many scientists researching gene therapy use viruses to deliver genes to cells. "We tried a different approach - using tiny spheres of lipid called liposomes, which interact in a natural way with the lipids in a cell's membrane. "Each method of delivery has advantages and disadvantages and extensive research on each will tell us which will work best in patients." The researchers hope their technique will also enhance the effect of chemotherapy. Professor Robert Souhami, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical and external affairs, said: "Cancer is a complex disease and we need imaginative approaches to combat it." SEE ALSO:

'Gene chip' under skin will detect cancers

By the year 2025 the first signs you have cancer may be picked up by a tiny chip implanted under the skin that will send a warning signal to your local hospital when it detects changes to your DNA.
A report out tomorrow looking at cancer treatment in the next two decades predicts there will be millions more living with cancer into older age, because of better diagnosis and therapy.
But the report, compiled by more than 50 specialists, predicts that, although we will enjoy a far better chance of survival, there will be enormous funding implications. It calls for more creative thinking to deal with the inequalities between rich and poor.
The Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy spells out that fear of cancer will decline because so many people will live with it into old age. By 2025 more than three million people will have cancer. 'It will be considered a chronic disease, joining conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma,' says the report.
A revolution in diagnosis will allow doctors to intervene at an early stage to prevent the growth of large tumours.
'Within 10 years it may become feasible to implant into the body a sophisticated gene chip that continually monitors for specific DNA changes.' When these are found, a warning signal would be sent via television or mobile phone and a local hospital appointment made.
The average age of diagnosis is now 68, but within two decades patients could be treated by the time they reach 30.
It's estimated that treating a cancer patient currently costs around £20,000 a year, but this would rise to £100,000 by 2025.
Professor Karol Sikora, of Imperial College London's School of Medicine, who edited the document, said: 'I think the politicians are faced with a very real dilemma. The costs of keeping people alive into old age could well outweigh the costs of educating the next generation. We should start thinking now about how all the advances are going to be paid for.'

RNA treatment reduces drug resistance during Cancer Therapy
A new RNA treatment could help patients overcome drug resistance during cancer therapy, enhancing the efficacy of these procedures, U.S. researchers said.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a technique that uses small, interfering RNA that inhibits the expression of certain genes with a matching, complementary sequence. The procedure could boost the effectiveness of cancer treatments where drug resistance has developed, they said.
The researchers tested the procedure on a form of leukemia that develops when two genes fuse together and create an unregulated gene, called TEL-PDGFbetaR, that transforms normal cells into cancer cells.
Using small inhibitory RNA specific to this fusion gene, researchers found it reduced the expression of TEL-PDGFbetaR by 90 percent.
Although the treatment does not kill cancer cells, it enables imatinib, an anti-cancer drug, to kill the cells more efficiently. The researchers think this approach could become a viable compliment to cancer treatments and help overcome the common problem of drug resistance.

Device May Reduce Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
A new way of delivering radiation, known as balloon brachytherapy, may allow some women with breast cancer to avoid mastectomy and instead undergo an operation that spares the breast, new research suggests.
Previous reports have shown that this limited surgery, called breast-conserving therapy, when followed by radiation is just as good as mastectomy at improving patient survival.
Unfortunately, because radiation typically takes 6 weeks to administer and is only offered at special centers, many women are forced to undergo mastectomy simply because they don't have the time to travel to one of these centers for treatment.
Usually, radiation is given from the outside in -- that is, by an external beam of radiation. Balloon brachytherapy, by contrast, delivers radiation from the inside out, according to the report in the Archives of Surgery.
The procedure involves the insertion of a balloon device, called the MammoSite catheter, through the skin incision and into the area where the cancer was removed. The balloon is then inflated and radioactive material is poured in to provide radiation to the area. After treatment is completed, the balloon is deflated and the device is removed.
By reducing the radiation treatment time to just 1 week, balloon brachytherapy may help women with logistic problems of time and distance opt for breast-conserving therapy and avoid mastectomy.
In the current study, Dr. Kambiz Dowlatshahi, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and colleagues describe the short-term outcomes of 112 women treated with balloon brachytherapy.
The subjects adjusted quickly to the breast distension caused by the device and rated the cosmetic outcome as high. There was no evidence of cancer recurrence during follow-up.
There were some complications with the new technique. Four women had a punctured or ruptured balloon that required replacement before treatment could be completed, the investigators point out.
Also, seven women developed a wound infection that required drainage and antibiotics, the researchers note.
Less serious complications included temporary reddening of the skin and blisters. After the device was removed, 10 women had ultrasound-detected fluid collections that were drained with a needle, Dowlatshahi's team reports.
"Brachytherapy with the MammoSite catheter has distinct advantages compared with (standard radiation), including a much shorter treatment time that enables working women and those at a distance from radiation centers to consider breast conservation," the researchers conclude.