Washington, Feb 3 (ANI): Silver is as efficient as a leading chemotherapy drug in treating cancer and may even have fewer side effects, a new study has revealed. Results from the study at the University of Leeds, show that particular silver compounds are as toxic to cancer cells as the platinum-based drug Cisplatin, which is widely used to treat a range of cancers. But the crucial difference is that silver is thought to be much less toxic to healthy human cells, and in some cases, can be beneficial. Silver is currently used for its antiseptic and antibiotic properties, in bandages, wound dressings and water purification filters in the third world. Nausea and vomiting, kidney damage and an increased risk of infection are common side effects of Cisplatin, which is used to treat cancer of the lungs, breast, bladder, testicles, head and neck, ovaries and lymph nodes. "As many are unfortunately aware, chemotherapy can be a very gruelling experience for the patient. Finding effective, yet non-toxic drugs is an ongoing problem, but these preliminary results are an important step in solving it," Dr Charlotte Willans who is leading the study said. "Our research has looked at the structure which surrounds a … Continue reading →

However, "Many patients don't receive the necessary dose to try to keep their cancer in check, because their symptoms become too debilitating and their quality of life is reduced," says Andrew Weickhardt, MD, clinical fellow at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Weickhardt, along with Keith Wells, MD, and Wells Messersmith, MD, CU Cancer Center investigator and developmental therapeutics program co-leader, recently published a review in the Journal of Oncology that describes how to maximize the positives of this tricky balance between oxaliplatin's effects and side effects. "Before, when patients died in a few months, these symptoms were overlooked. Now they're living two to three years and the symptoms deserve closer attention," Weickhardt says. The review recommends two approaches, used alone or simultaneously – what Weickhardt calls a "stop and go" approach, along with supplements that may mitigate the drug's neurological damage. In the stop and go approach, a patient starts oxaliplatin along with another drug and takes both for two months. Then, the patient takes a hiatus from oxaliplatin (while continuing the first drug), and reintroduces oxaliplatin two months later or at the point of disease progression, whichever is sooner. "After about six to nine months of total treatment, … Continue reading →