Chinese trial reports 84% efficacy for iron-based advanced cancer therapy
In short
- The trial tests iron, an agent borrowed from industrial waste water treatment.
- Iron reacts with hydrogen peroxide to produce hydroxyl radicals that break down molecules.
- The trial reports 84% efficacy in patients whose cancer progressed despite systemic therapy.
Why the Good News Desk likes this one
Options for patients whose metastatic cancer has progressed despite systemic therapy remain critically limited. Chinese scientists adapted a chemical reaction from waste water treatment to target tumours. The result is at trial stage, so the efficacy figure needs independent confirmation before it means more.
From South China Morning Post
For patients with advanced, metastatic cancer that has progressed despite systemic therapy, options remain critically limited. Now, Chinese scientists are pointing to an unconventional therapeutic agent – the element iron. This idea originated in industrial waste water treatment: iron can react with hydrogen peroxide to generate hydroxyl radicals, which degrade various organic and toxic molecules in waste water. Chinese scientists wanted to treat malignant tumours the way they treat waste water...
