In a remarkable study, researchers have shown that injecting a fairly common bacteria – Clostridium novyi – into a cancer tumor helped shrink it.
Studies were first carried out on dogs, and then, with interesting results, on a female cancer patient. Furthermore, the study suggests that the bacterial injection possibly bolstered the immune system so that immune cells continued to target tumor cells for up to two years.
The great success of the result paves the way for more studies to be conducted. Nonetheless, it should be noted that scientists have not treated enough people to be sure if the spectrum of responses seen in dogs will be fully reproduced in people.
More Information:
- Intratumoral injection of Clostridium novyi-NT spores induces antitumor responses, ScienceMag, Vol. 6, Issue 249, p. 249ra111, Sci. Transl. Med. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3008982, 13 August 2014.
- Tumors shrink following bacteria injection, MNT, articles/281171, 18 August 2014.
- Bacteria Successful In Cancer Treatment, ScienceDaily, 070905201213, 9 September 2007.