Cancer tumors produce a hormone-line molecule that spurs the growth of nerve endings in neighboring tissue--which is partly responsible for the acute pain triggered by the disease. And German scientists say that a new drug that blocks that molecule would be a valuable addition to the pharmacopeia of cancer therapies needed to treat patients.
Researchers at Heidelberg University spotlighted the role of the molecules in triggering pain. The same molecules also are important in the development of blood cells in bone marrow. Now the backers of the study want developers to target the pain right at the tumor site, which would significantly improve the lives of cancer patients while limiting the side effects of the disease.
"Identifying one of the ways in which cancer causes pain--in fact, perhaps the main mechanism--is a crucial step towards drugs that could bring relief to cancer sufferers across the world," Dr. Mark Matfield, scientific adviser to the Association for International Cancer Research, tells the BBC. The AICR helped fund the study.
- read the report from the BBC