Researchers have succeeded in developing a 3D sponge capable of absorbing the surplus of drugs released into the body by chemotherapy in the event of cancer.
This could revolutionize cancer treatment. Currently, patients are most often treated with chemotherapy and, as effective as it may be, this technique generates many undesirable side effects. Because the treatment acts on the whole body and not only on the part affected by the tumour. To remedy this, scientists have developed a 3D printed sponge capable of absorbing excess drugs released by chemo, reveals an American study published in the journal ACS Central Science Wednesday, January 9.
For now, scientists at the California Institute have only tested their device on pigs and have focused on the liver. “We are developing the device for liver cancer because it is a serious public health threat, there are tens of thousands of new cases each year and we are already treating this disease using intra-chemotherapy. -arterial (the drug is administered into the artery or arteries supplying the tumor via a catheter, Ed)”, explains Steven Hetts, radiologist at the University of California at San Francisco.
The researchers therefore injected a drug called doxorubicin into the pigs’ blood upstream of the liver and inserted their device into a vein downstream for a few hours, the time of the chemo. After which, scientists noticed that 64% excess doxorubicin had left the blood.
New tests to be carried out on a more elaborate body
If the results are very promising, the device is still far from being accessible to patients. “This work is an exciting new approach to reducing the side effects of chemotherapy (…) We still need to build a more elaborate body to ensure that our technique is safe before we see if it could be effective on patients”, explains Steve Rannard, Cancer Research UK, at BBC News. However, if the next tests prove conclusive, the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) should give its approval quickly for marketing because of the very nature of the sponge, he enthuses.
In France, in 2011, the number of liver cancers was estimated at around 8,200. This disease affects 80% of men and most often occurs during the course of a chronic disease such as cirrhosis or hepatitis B. The choice of treatment is made on a case-by-case basis. There are four types: partial ablation, liver transplantation, percutaneous tumor destruction and chemotherapy.
The side effects of the latter vary according to the treatments. Among the most common we can observe: hair loss or alopecia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in white and red blood cells and platelets, lesions of the mouth, heart problems as well as the menstrual cycle, muscle and joint pain, allergic reactions or great fatigue.
