Many Hope For Stem Cell Treatments For Cancer
Stem cell treatments for cancer provide hope for many patients suffering from some form of this disease. In fact, they are already being used in certain types of cancer such as leukemia. For years, stem cells have been used for treating leukemia because it helps to restore the white and red blood cells after high doses of radiation and chemotherapy are used. They help because, stem cells have the ability to grow into other cells, which means they can be used to replace damaged and unhealthy cells with new healthy ones. Scientists believe that these new healthy cells could be used as stem cell treatments for cancer.
However, it’s not as easily done as it sounds. The stem cells have to be obtained and there is always a risk that they will reject the host. Stem cells are located in a variety of places in the body such as in the blood stream, bone marrow and in the brain. They are also found in the umbilical cords (umbilical cord stem cells) that are discarded after birth and in the early stages of the embryo.
Types of Stem Cells
There are two types of stem cells called the adult stem cell and the embryonic stem cells. The embryonic stem cells are believed to have more potential than the adult stem cells because they have the ability to transform into any cell in the body except for the sperm or egg. However, the adult stem cell can transform into other cells in the same group and there is still much adult stem cell research being done today. Stem cells found in the umbilical cord especially interests scientists as they may hold the key too curing many diseases. Many of the treatments for cancer used today damages the stem cells in the body. By adding healthy stem cells back into the patient’s body after treatment, it’s believed they will continue to grow and multiply and eventually help to restore the health of the patient. Stem cell treatments for cancer for provide much needed help to people suffering from cancer.
Cancer Stem Cells
Cancer stem cells called CSC are actually cancer cells which have similar characteristics as a normal stem cell. This means they have the ability to form tumors and grow within the body. Since CSC can multiply, they can spread or cause a patient with cancer to relapse after treatment. Stem cell research is helping scientists to understand why some types of cancer come back after they initially thought it was removed from the body.
Brain Cancer Treatments
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments have very little effect on brain cancer and most patients only live for a short period of time after being diagnosed. Brain cancer stem cells are being researched in hope that they can be used as a way to successfully treat patients with brain cancer and reduce the mortality rate. Studies have shown that neural stem cells have the ability to locate tumor cells in different parts of the brain and migrate to those areas and fight against the tumor.
Cancer stem cell research will need to continue for many years before this method can be used in an attempt to cure brain cancer but the studies so far have proven to be very hopeful. It is hoped that many stem cell treatments for cancer of all types will be found with more research in this field. This is why scientists continue to do their research despite all of the controversy that surrounds stem cell research.
