A new type of chemotherapy is effective in treating both adult and pediatric cancers, and can make other chemotherapies more effective, according to research from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.
The study, which appears in the journal Pharmaceutical Research, investigated a new kind of antitumor chemical called RCn. When evaluated for its ability to kill cancer cells in mice, hospital researchers found RCn was more than 10 times more effective in eliminating tumor cells than regular cells, meaning the low dose necessary to impact cancerous cells will have minimal effect on normal cells, according to the researchers.
"This is particularly important for proving the safety of a potential therapy," Timothy Cripe, MD, principal investigator on the research, said in a statement. The study authors are working to further test the capabilities of the new drug.
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