The Traditional Standard Methods are Unable to Solve the Problems of Metastases and Relapses of Malignant Tumors
Today, the oncological diseases stand in the 2nd place among the all diseases, which are responsible for the overall human death-rate, especially in the developed countries. Therefore problems of their prophylaxis and treatments consider to a huge population of the world.
By this time, nobody doubts in that among the traditional standard methods of cancer treatment, the surgical method is the most distinguished and imperative approach in the cancer treatment. But the surgical resection of malignant tumor, often, does not result into a complete cure either. One of the reasons for this is the distant metastatic growths. Bigger the size of the primary tumor the more the chances to have metastatic outgrowths. The cancer cells are capable to penetrate the blood vessels and spread all over the organism and approximately one out of 10 000 such outspreaded cells give rise to a new growth of tumor i.e. metastasis. (1cm3 of tumor tissue contains about 1 000 000 000 cells). If a tumor is detected, then it can be assumed that there are already metastases though their sizes may be still too small and they may not be identified in such early stages by any of the instrumental methods: X-ray, ultrasound, CT scans or even MRT. Following, as the metastases grow up, they are identified in one or two in numbers first, and then successfully the process takes a character of "an avalanche".
Fig. 1. The tumor is diagnosed
The surgical resection of a malignant tumor also has a high risk of damaging the tumor and penetrating the cancer cells into the blood vessels, which, in turn, gives rise to new colonies of tumor cells (i.e. metastasis). This is why the chemo and radiotherapies are traditionally applied in combination with the surgical resection of the primary tumor. However, the chemotherapeutic resources have been unable to solve the problems of metastases and relapses of the malignant tumors mainly due to the TOXIN EXCRETING GLYCOPROTEIN. Glycoprotein P (P-permeability) is located in plasmatic membrane of tumor cells and is responsible for excreting out the metabolic toxins from cells. Due to a considerable amount of these glycoproteins, tumor cells very quickly and effectively excrete out the chemotherapeutic substances used against them, developing a phenomenon so called "the numerous drug resistance" in the tumor cells.
Thus, chemotherapeutic drugs and radiotherapy are capable to shrink the tumor sizes only for short time (at the best), after which the irreversible growth of the tumor continues as before. Similarly, they do not solve the main problems of the tumor genesis. Moreover, they are themselves high toxic agents and therefore are carcinogens.
Usually only at early diagnosis of oncological diseases, they may appreciably prolong life or occasionally may cure completely. But the peculiarity of the oncological diseases is that there are rarely any clinical symptoms in the early stages except for the local surface growths, which the patients may notice themselves. In most of the patients the cancer is diagnosed in late stages when there are already metastatic outspreads.
The other insufficiency of the chemotherapeutic agents is that they lack the specificity i. e. they act on all type of fast dividing body cells. In normal, approximately 5 % of the human body cells are susceptible to apoptosis (normal cell death) and are replaced by new cells, which are more tolerant and viable to life. Ironically these very cells get attacked by the chemotherapeutic agents at first degree. Besides, among the fast dividing cells include the cells of the immune system, which protect us from the cancers, viruses, microbes, fungi and other infections. The application of these chemotherapeutic agents destroys the immune system of an organism leaving them even more unprotected from the cancers and other infections.
Similarly, it has been noticed that in some patients undergoing the traditional methods of treatments against certain type of cancer, appear more tumors at different places of the body and of different histological type. Besides, the patients may develop primary polydisplasia.
During the last two decades, a novel approach for cancer treatments, so called IMMUNOTHERAPY, is being developed and tested. Today a series of cancer vaccines are already under going various clinical trials: vaccine against prostate cancer, ovary cancers, melanoma and other types of cancers. Such vaccines are targeted against one particular cancer. Usage of such vaccines in combination with the surgical treatment is a new and most rational approach in cancer treatments, which enables to prevent relapses and to cure cancers completely. According to the experts such method of treatment will reduce the overall mortality rate from oncological diseases minimum by 2 times. The most encouraging thing is that the effective immunotherapy can considerably prolong or even save lives of up to 5-20 % of the IV of stage cancer patients. Where as the traditional methods such as chemo- and radiotherapy are practically helpless in these cases.
New possibilities have been discovered: cancer vaccine-RESAN for the prophylaxis and treatment of many malignant and benign tumors due to its strong antitumor activities against many tumor antigens.
