Clinical trial examining how to destroy cancerous stem cells

A clinical trial examining how to destroy cancerous stem cells is to get underway.

A clinical trial is set to get underway to examine how medical professionals can improve the treatment of breast cancer.

Usual procedure sees patients undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but this often is not enough to completely destroy cancerous stem cells.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre are therefore seeking alternatives that will solve this challenge,

They will principally be testing out the drug reparixin, which has been found to be effective in lab experiments. It will be used in conjunction with regular chemotherapy treatments.

"This is one of only a few trials testing stem cell directed therapies in combination with chemotherapy in breast cancer," said Anne Schott, principal investigator of the study and associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan.

"Combining chemotherapy with stem cell therapy has the potential to lengthen remissions for women with advanced breast cancer."

Breast cancer usually occurs in women over the age of 50. Approximately 48,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.