In a recent study, Israeli researchers have said that they might have discovered a way to slash the chance of developing post-surgical cancer recurrence through a specific drug programme that includes the combination of two drugs that have been on the market for years.
The researchers from Tel Aviv University found that the use of a drug regimen that includes the combination of two readily available drugs that relieve stress and inflammation, administered to patients before and after surgery, “significantly reduces the risk of post-surgical cancer recurrence”.
The medicines are a combination of a beta blocker, which relieves stress and high blood pressure, and an anti-inflammatory drug.
The aim of the research was to determine whether this method was able to stop a metastatic recurrence. That is when cells of primary tumours can relocate to other parts of the body, where they can often develop causing fatal results.
The outcome of the study came from a 20 year-long study of animals which aimed to investigate how stress and inflammation was able to cause cancer to redevelop inside patients. The treatment is now being clinically trialled to enable researchers to gauge any long-term benefits or drawbacks.
The research was led by Ben-Eliyahu in collaboration with Prof. Steven Cole of UCLA; Prof. Oded Zmora of Sheba Medical Centre, Tel Hashomer; Prof. Eran Sharon of Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson; and Prof. Tanir Ellweiss of Kaplan Medical Centre.
