Researchers from the University of Granada develop a hopeful therapy against cancer

2023-07-31 16:56:42

A team of researchers from the University of Granada has revealed a project for an innovative therapy against cancer. His NeMeSis project is at the forefront of cancer research. The treatment has already been tested in other countries and has given encouraging results in head and neck tumors with a poor prognosis.

This innovative treatment is applied in just one session. In the future they hope to be able to expand it to other types of cancers. “It is the only external radiotherapy that is selective at the cellular level,” José Ignacio Porras, professor at the University of Granada and leader of the NeMeSis project, explained to Antena 3 News. “If the cancer is infiltrating a critical organ, it respects the healthy cells,” Porras pointed out.

With a single session, “the therapeutic effect is produced in the tumor suddenly”, added the professor. Treatment consists of two separate innocuous agents. A non-toxic compound with boron atoms is introduced to the patient. The compound is retained longer in the tumor than in healthy tissue. When a maximum concentration is reached in the tumor cells, it is irradiated with neutrons, they have no charge, except when the boron atoms are found. Then, a very destructive reaction occurs for the cells where there is boron, but not for the neighboring ones.

In addition, the possibility of extending it to other types of tumors is being studied. Unlike conventional radiotherapy, with small amounts of doses that destroy the tumor, it can be given in a single session because it affects healthy tissue very little. In three four years they could start doing clinical trials with patients.

A Spanish study increases lung cancer survival by 20%

A group of Spanish researchers belonging to the GECP has carried out a pioneering study worldwide. Thanks to them, a new treatment has appeared that could benefit more than 6,000 patients each year, increasing their survival by 20%. The results achieved in this study confirm the benefit of nivolumab, together with chemo-immunotherapy, before the operation of lung cancer in an advanced stage.

The treatment supposes a complete reduction of the tumor in almost 40% of the patients, whereas when using the traditional treatment, it would only be 7%. This progress means that “more people are operated on,” according to Dr. Provencio, president of the GECP. In addition, survival in two years is 85% of the patients.