ALTERNATIVE CANCER THERAPIES

Peptides

Peptides occur naturally - they are the building blocks of proteins. However, the peptides at the forefront of cancer cell research are specially made chemicals that act specifically to break open the cell membrane of cancer cells, thus destroying the cells. They are activated by an enzyme that is more common in cancer cells than in normal cells, so they do not break down normal cells, selecting only the cancer cells to destroy.

This treatment is said to be effective because it works where normal chemotherapy is not working - cancer cells have become resistant to the chemicals that have been used to destroy them.

It is only in the past ten years that work on these peptides - "nanotherapeutics" - has progressed to the stage where biochemists are enthusiastic about the possibility of their controlling cancer.

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to change the building blocks (amino acids) that form the peptides, to form new anti-tumor agents, specific to particular tumor types and chemists working in the field are optimistic about their potential. As well, it might be possible to combine the peptides with conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments to make the conventional treatments more effective, possibly meaning doses could be reduced and side-affects lessened.

With the current rate of progress in research on peptides at mainstream laboratories, this is not an 'alternative treatment' but holds hope for cancer sufferers worldwide, particularly those suffering from lung cancer and prostate cancer.