Scientists are currently researching if there’s a preventative that can be enforced to disable cancerous tumors from invading the body.
Researchers in Australia have reportedly discovered that by injecting substances into tumors, they can assist the immune system in targeting these harmful tumors for destruction.
In doing so, they believe that they may be able to prevent fatal forms of cancer, such as the asbestos induced, mesothelioma, from effecting more people in the future.
Tests Conducted on Mice
Researchers reportedly injected toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, which mimic the response that would occur if an infection existed, into the mesothelioma cells of a mouse.
According to documents, the tumors were completely gone in 40 percent of the mice and the rest of the mice showed a slowing in the progression of the cancer.
“There appears to be multiple layers of suppression used by any given tumor,” explains Andrew Currie, a researcher at the School of Medicine & Pharmacology in Western Australia. “Not only that, the tumors are not passive suppressors, but rather astute manipulators of the immune system.”
The Effects of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a fatal form of cancer that typically affects those who have been exposed to asbestos through inhalation, ingestion or the handling of products containing the substance.
The effects of mesothelioma usually don’t show up for between 15 and 50 years so oftentimes when people are exposed they are not aware of the harm that has been done.
Scientists have yet to find a cure for the illness; however, treatments have been discovered in the last couple of decades that are enabling those who have mesothelioma to live a bit longer.
