Tumors Treatment: Limit Them, Not Kill Them

It is a general tendency to want to remove the root cause of an infection or tumor. But oncologist's advice, it may not be the way to go. As more and more cases of this disease becoming resistant to antimicrobial medicines and chemotherapy are surfacing.

Doctors and researchers are postulating that due to the growing resistance of the tumor cells; limiting them to a tolerable level in some cases, rather than trying to destroy them could be the viable solution.

But, the problem lies in determining which method should be adopted in which case.

Determining the Tolerable Level

Determining the level of the disease at which it can be left untreated is a topic that would leave some people aghast and spur a controversy. But it is being pursued by researchers as an option in many types of cancer.

They say there are diseases that require aggressive approach and there is no denying that, but a small ear infection can be left alone. It can be left up to the doctor’s and the patient’s discretion to decide on the method they would like to adopt.

A paper was published in the PLOS Biology. They described the two methods adopted to determine the tolerable level – the rate at which the cells become resistant to treatment and the other was “competitive suppression”.

They state that in the cells that are responding to treatment, there is a competition for nutrients. So, they believe increased competition can limit the resistant cells. But, the fear of sensitive cells developing resistance also persists.

In the experiment, the disease was assumed contained if the pathogen remained below the devised level at which the disease was considered tolerable and if the tumor rose above that level, it was considered a failure. It was also discovered that in many cases containment could double the lifespan of the patient.

But a top medical oncologist from the group said: “Most of the cases lie in the middle and required hard choices on the part of the patient and the doctor.”

Oncologist’s Define the Problem of Resistance

Millions of lives have been saved with the help of antimicrobial drugs, but it is also a fact that these drugs are growing ineffective against infections and cancers.

Evolution of bacteria is the major factor that attributes to this resistance. An organism like the flesh-eating bacteria has become very resilient to modern treatment.

The antibiotic opposition can be observed in a patient almost right away when they stop responding to medicine.

Resistant Cancer Cells

There are several reasons due to which a patient's abnormality or lump can develop opposition to treatment. The cells can mutate or might be heterogeneous in the first place. If you eradicate one the other type may grow and develop into cancer.

Oncologists explain that sometimes instead of trying to kill the disease with a drug it is best to try and stabilise it.

The Approach to Adopt

After consulting a specialist, he said: there is a greater need to understand the tumor, initially taking multiple drugs can be a reasonable solution to curb the growth, rather than taking one medication.

But, one must weigh the short-term aggressive treatment against the long-term development of resistance. Therefore, containment rather than aggressive treatment could be the best option in the long run.