Cytogenetics and Cancer Research

Anti-angiogenic therapy is a kind of cancer treatment that using drugs to stop tumor angiogenesis. This is a high potential approach to treat cancer. Today, I will share some of the basic knowledge about this kind of cancer treatment.
 
What is angiogenesis? Angiogenesis is a multi steps process involving the growth of new blood vessels in our body. This process depends on the regulation of many distinct activities in many cell types. This process plays an essential role in many physiological and pathological conditions.
 

What is tumor angiogenesis? Tumor angiogenesis is the growth of new capillary blood vessels that penetrate into tumor and supply the nutrients and oxygen as well as removing waste products. The tumors need angiogenesis to grow and evade in our body. The tumor cells can get the necessary oxygen and nutrient supplies by passive diffusion when the tumor angiogenesis occur. Therefore, the anti-angiogenic therapy is a good approach to treat the tumor progression by stopping the tumor angiogenesis.
 

Anti-angiogenic Therapy is Effective to Treat Cancer

Anti-angiogenic therapy of cancer is a highly effective way for destroying the tumor cells. The tumors cannot grow and survive without angiogenesis. If the anti-angiogenic agents are applied before a tumor develops, it can be considered as a vaccine in preventing the tumor development. Yet, it is not a cure for cancer but just represents the treatment. If we really want to cure the cancer, we need to target the agents and pathways that cause cancer.
 

Advantages of Anti-angiogenic Therapy

i. Unlike the chemotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy contains little or no toxic to our body. It is because it does not require the therapeutic drug enter any tumor cells. The therapeutic agent needs not to cross the blood brain barrier.
 
ii. This treatment regulate the tumor growth regardless the growth fraction, tumor cell heterogeneity and tumor cell type.
 
iii. This treatment does not induce acquired drug resistance.
 
iv. As the normal vasculature of an adult is dormant, the specificity of angiogenic inhibitors can be applied. This allows the long-term and nontoxic treatment of tumors to the patients. This is the greatest advantage if compare to the nonspecific modalities of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat cancer.
 
v. Anti-angiogenic agents aim not only DNA synthesis and cell division, but also the biologic feature of tumor cells.
 
In conclusion, anti-angiongenic therapy has a great potential on treating the cancer and control the progression of tumor cells. Yet, there are some difficulties related to the clinical evaluation of the efficiency of these anti-angiogenic drugs. Sometimes, the therapy might works on the animal model but not in human. The cancer research on this therapy will be carried on to bring its potency into play.

Cancer can cause terrible pain to the patient. It is overwhelming that if the cancer patient suffers the pain without relief. Many people are dying because of suffering the terrible cancer pain everyday in hospitals and clinics around the world. To solve such problem, there are many drugs and techniques can relieve the cancer pain. Today, I will introduce to you about 3 basic ways to relieve cancer pain.
 
 

3 Basic Ways to Relieve Cancer Pain

1. Dealing with the Origin of the Pain

Generally, people will choose to eliminate or modify the origin of the cancer pain. To do this, we can remove or shrink the cancer that caused the pain. Many cancer therapies are used to remove or shrink the cancer such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy.

Yet, there are many disadvantages by using this way to relieve the cancer pain. First, most of those cancer therapies possess some risk. The patients receive such therapies to relieve the cancer pain may take the risk to certain side effects. In addition, not all the cancer patients are suitable to use the surgery to relieve the cancer pain. For instance, if the cancer has spread or if a patient’s overall condition is weak, the surgery is not suitable for him. Furthermore, only some types of cancer respond well to radiation and chemotherapy. Most of these treatments can only reduce the pain slowly. Sometimes, the therapies may cause new pain as a side effect.
 

2. Altering the Pain Message with Painkillers

Another common way that we can use to relieve the cancer pain is to alter the perception of pain. When the message reaches the spinal cord and brain, we can use the painkillers or analgesics to change the message to relieve the pain. For example, Morphine is used to alter the perception of pain in a selective and reversible way to blunt the pain. This is an effective way as it will always function normally with proper use.
 

3. Interrupting the Pain Signals

The third way to relieve the cancer pain is to use a nerve block to interrupt the pain signal between the source of pain and the central nervous system. This is the least used way to relieve the cancer pain. In cancer research, these strategy have more risks and irreversible to blunt the pain. Therefore, it is only suitable to small amount of cancer patients.
 
In conclusion, we can prevent the cancer pain by just applying some simple basic ways. Yet, before any of these approaches are applied, we should consult the medical expert so that the most appropriate treatment plan is established for optimum effect.
 
(Reference: The Complete Guide to Relieving Cancer Pain and Suffering by Richard B. P. & Susan S. L.)