From: kutchscience
To: 'Dr.H.L.Udeshi' ; 'Dr.M.Azim Sheth' ; 'Dr.Mahesh Punjabi - Kota' ;
'Dr.Shashiben Vani - Ahmedabad' ; 'Dr.Upendra Vasavda - Mehsana' ;
ac54p@... ; 'Dr.S.K.Takker-Baran' ; drskb@... ;
drsahai@... ; drprpatel@... ; drpddoshi19@... ;
drmaltigupta@... ; drdvyas@... ; drdjpatel@... ;
drdilip@... ; 'Dr.Arun Parikh - Himmatnagar'
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 11:39 AM
Subject: If Cancer can be caused By an Infections - why antibiotics can not
block it? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3726124.stm


If Cancer can be caused By an Infections - why antibiotics can not block
it?

Antibiotic can 'turn off cancer'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3726124.stm

Liver cancer was blocked in mice
Scientists have shown that a common antibiotic can turn off cancer cells
in mice, offering hope of new treatments for cancer patients.
The antibiotic worked by turning off a gene called Myc, which is known to
trigger cancer.

Mice remained cancer free for as long as they took the drug. When it was
stopped they developed liver cancer, the Stanford University team found.

Cancer experts said the Nature study held promise for human cancer drugs.

Cancer switch

The findings might also apply to cancers of the breast, bowel and
prostate, the researchers hope.

This is because all of these cancers, as well as liver cancer, begin in
cells that line the body called epithelial cells.

According to Cancer Research UK, the gene may contribute to as many as one
in seven cancer deaths.

Drugs blocking Myc might be effective cancer treatments in the
future.

Dr Elaine Vickers from Cancer Research UK

The Stanford scientists studied mice whose liver cells had been altered to
carry a modified Myc gene known to cause cancer.

Myc controls cell division. Unlike the normal version of the gene, the
modified version stayed permanently switched on, meaning cells were constantly
dividing and some became cancerous.

Feeding the mice the antibiotic doxycyline turned the faulty Myc gene off
so cancer growth was blocked.

When the researchers stopped the doxycycline the mice developed aggressive
liver cancer.

Reintroducing doxycycline into their feed not only turned Myc back off,
blocking further cancer growth, but it also turned the cancer cells back to
normal.

Reversing cancer

Lead researcher Dr Dean Felsher said: "The exciting thing is you can turn
cancer cells into something that appears to be normal."

But he said even though the cells looked normal, they still had the
ability to become cancerous if the antibiotic were to be stopped.

This could explain why some cancers come back after people have had
chemotherapy, he said.

"This is a terrible cancer. Anything that is encouraging in liver cancer
may be important," he said.

Dr Elaine Vickers, science information officer for Cancer Research UK,
said: "The Myc gene is known to be overactive in many types of cancer.

"Estimates suggest that the gene may contribute to as many as one in seven
cancer deaths.

"This research is very interesting.

"It adds to the weight of evidence suggesting that drugs blocking Myc
might be effective cancer treatments in the future."




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