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.
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