Cancer research UK scientists have identified a new approach to cancer treatment, which radically increases the effectiveness of radiotherapy by increasing oxygen delivery to tumours.
Researchers from the MRC Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology at the University of Oxford showed that treating mice with certain drugs improved the stability of blood vessels in the tumours. Normally, these blood vessels are badly developed, weak and twisted, and as a result, cancer cells have lower oxygen levels than normal cells. By improving the blood vessels, the scientists increased the oxygen concentration inside the tumour – which boosts sensitivity to radiotherapy. A better, more stable blood supply in the tumour also enables better delivery of chemotherapy drugs to the cancers.
