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Study: Chemotherapy can backfire and boost cancer growth

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    Treatment damages DNA of healthy cells?

  • Duration 3:12
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Treatment doctors use for cancer has that actually helped it spread.

That's the finding of -- in a brand new study which suggests chemotherapy can help the cancer cells become resistant to treatment.

Chemotherapy targets cancer cells killing them.

But according to the article published in -- in nature medicine.

It also can damage the DNA and healthy cells.

That causes them to release a protein according to this study and researchers say that can actually help the -- team.

Help protect the cancer cells causing tumors to grow.

The study helps explain why some people appear to develop a resistance to -- scientists say could also lead to better treatments in the future let's bring in doctor Arthur Caplan.

He -- the division of medical ethics at New York university's -- on medical center.

Chemo helping cancer spread this goes against everything anyone's ever.

It does but you know it's not totally -- surprise ship because.

We know that cancers rebound after an initial blast of -- and as you just said this starts to explain why something is getting released.

-- that dying cancer cell.

That basically is in the normal cells and it's helping more cancer cells grow so -- most complicated if you will.

You take that big shot then cheated -- cancer so your -- a lot of Havoc ethics problem.

Don't stop taking your -- I've already had people come up to -- today and say.

This mean I should do -- different no only one study chemo works it's just that it doesn't work so to speak long term if that initial.

Benefit -- go back and take it again don't stop your -- yet so what what have we learned from the civilian and we're gonna learn two things one you can use lower doses probably -- you don't release so much of that chemical with stimulates the cancer -- to re grow from I think he's going to be beneficial that way.

Too gonna have to concoct some different brews to have an agent that knocks that.

Kids are growing component out and that's doable I think it's going to make chemotherapy safer easier.

Less awful for the people have to get it but don't changer -- yet don't do that.

Don't do anything like that without talking to doctors exactly what.

-- used to be given in larger doses than it is now generally speaking right that's right so we used to be uncertain.

The idea was -- blast this whole thing all at once with everything you've -- and that turned out to be worse for the patient has everyone knows.

It's a race between the poison which is -- And you trying to live long enough to benefit from the result it's crazy -- That's sort of the tool we have.

The more fine -- you can make this.

The more specific you can make it to the cells in the studies actually good news it's not a bad news the -- it's going to be for treating cancer one more reminder that health -- is not a broad and generic thing it's specific to each individual in each case well the long term dream is.

Make the key move fit that genetics of the cancer so that you had for I have so.

And certainly deserves and we as a future therapy we're gonna see it the next ten years while that should be expected it'll be expensive but you know you'll pay if that works.

And you're not put out -- action for three months are not true.

-- caucus -- and thank you my pleasure.

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