Removing copper from body could slow cancer

Conclusion This research has suggested that drugs already available that are designed to reduce the amount of copper in the body may be able to reduce the growth of tumours that have a mutation in the BRAF gene, such as melanoma. The drugs reduced growth of BRAF-mutated tumours in mice and human cancer cells in the laboratory setting. Human clinical trials will be necessary to be certain that the drugs will have a beneficial effect in people with BRAF-mutated tumours before they could become widely used treatments for these types of cancers. Although these drugs have already been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for Wilson's disease, the aim of that treatment is to get abnormally high copper levels down to a normal level. Using the drugs as a cancer treatment could reduce the copper levels to below normal, and this could have side effects. Copper deficiency causes blood abnormalities such as anaemia and an increased vulnerability to infection, as well as neurological problems such as nerve damage, so an appropriate dose and duration of treatment would need to be determined. If human trials are successful, these drugs could provide a useful additional treatment option for hard-to-treat cancers such as melanoma. Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum. Links To The Headlines Copper can block growth of rare cancer. The Daily Telegraph, April 10 2014 Cancer could be 'starved' by taking pills t...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Source Type: news