Researchers and scientists from VIB/KU Leuven, Belgium, claim to have developed a way of reducing the harmful side-effects of chemotherapy. The new technique blocks an oxygen-sensitive enzyme and streamlines the flow of blood. The researchers found that chemotherapy when combined with PHD2 inhibitors make chemotherapy treatment more effective while also reducing its harmful side-effects.
Chemotherapy treatment’s effectiveness is limited by the problems of delivering the anti-cancer drugs to the tumour. The tumours have abnormally shaped blood vessels that are irregular in shape and have a weak texture. These blood vessels prevent the drugs from reaching the tumour promoting metastasis. Besides, the harmful side-effects of chemotherapy may also lead to serious medical problems, such as kidney or heart failure.
In the study, mouse models were used to prove that streamlining the flow of blood by inhibiting PHD2 can render more effective cancer treatment because the blood vessels are then better formed and helpful in ensuring that the anticancer drugs get distributed properly throughout the tumour.