In a pioneering study published in the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells, researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Department of Oncology discovered that despite killing 50% of all tumor cells per treatment, radiation treatments on breast cancer cells transform other cancer cells into cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cancer stem cells are basically more treatment-resistant than normal cancer cells.
This new study truly adds another blow to the favored but failed mainstream cancer treatments of trying to either cut out, poison or burn out cancer symptoms (tumors) instead of finding the actual cause of the cancer and stopping it from the source. Well, this study shows that radiation treatment creates cancer cells that are more lethal by at least 30 times more than before it was irradiated.
In the study that he conducted, Dr. Frank Pajonk and his team exposed to radiation normal non-stem cell cancer cells and placed them into mice. Using a unique imaging system, the scientists observed the cells diversity into iBCSC in response to radiation treatments. Dr. Pajonk noted that the newly generated cells were astoundingly similar to non-irradiated breast cancer stem cells.
The researchers found that the radiation-induced stem cells had increased by 30 times more, forming tumors compared to the non-irradiated breast cancer cells.
What are the side effects of Radiation?
Every person reacts differently to radiation treatment. It also depends on the type of cancer you have, the location of the tumor, dose of radiation and your general health. Some people might experience no side effects at all. Discuss with your oncologist the expected results of your radiation therapy so you will know what to do with it.
Some Early Side Effects of Radiation
Here are some early side effects of Radiation:
For the Chest or Breast area
* Shortness of breath
* Difficulty swallowing
* Shoulder stiffness
* Breast or nipple soreness
* Radiation pneumonitis which is fever, cough, and fullness of the chest, usually occurring between 2-6 months after radiation therapy.
* Radiation fibrosis, a permanent scarring of the lungs from untreated radiation pneumonitis
For the head or neck
* Nausea
* Mouth and gum sores
* Difficulty swallowing
* Stiffness of the jaw
* Lymphedema, a type of swelling
* Tooth decay
* Dry mouth
Stomach and abdomen
* Diarrhea
* Nausea and vomiting
Some long-term side effects, depending on the area of the body irradiated:
* Darkened skin as if it was suntanned (depending on the area of the body treated)
* Sensitive skin, especially to touch
* Permanent hair loss within the treated area
* Different hair color when it grows back in a treated area
* Lymphoedema or when drainage channels in your arms or legs become permanently blocked due to swelling
* Unable to become pregnant or to father a child when treatment is near your reproductive organs
How about you – what is your opinion of this latest piece of news about radiation and its effects on cancer cells? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Image by Ikiwaner / CC BY-SA 3.0
