Can Science Make Cancer A “Controllable Disease” ? New Study Shows Promise

Scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have discovered that cancer could become a “controllable chronic disease.”

The study, described by medical experts as “startling” and “unexpected”, says that tumors can remain dormant for decades. Eventually, this new discovery could be used to devise immunotherapies for tightening control of tumor growth.

Scientists led by Robert Schreiber, experimented using mice engineered to develop cancer with injections of a tar from cigarette smoke. Researchers found that the animals’ immune system could keep the spread of tumors in check over an extended period.

“The idea that our immune system might be able to put cancers into dormant state is new. These results look very promising,” said Norman Barrett, the chief executive of the Association for International Cancer Research in St. Andrews, Scotland. “There is much more work that needs to be done if this discovery is to be turned into a new way of treating patients, but you can bet that scientists around the world will be getting started on it as soon as they can.”