Thursday, January 19, 2012 by: S. L. Baker, features writer

(NaturalNews) When natural health advocates warn against mainstream medicine's arsenal of weapons used to fight cancer, including chemotherapy and radiation, their concerns often revolve around how these therapies can weaken and damage a person's body in numerous ways. But scientists are finding other reasons to question some of these therapies. It turns out that while chemotherapies may kill or shrink tumors in the short term, they may actually be causing malignancies to grow more deadly in the long term.

For example, NaturalNews previously reported (http://www.naturalnews.com/029042_cancer_cells_chemotherapy.html) that scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center and UAB Department of Chemistry are currently investigating the very real possibility that dead cancer cells left over after chemotherapy spark cancer to spread to other parts of the body (metastasis). And now comes news that a little-explored specific cell type, the pericyte, found in what is called the microenvironment of a cancerous tumor actually may halt cancer progression and metastasis. And by destroying these cells, some anti-cancer therapies may inadvertently be making cancer more aggressive as well as likely to spread and kill.

A study just published in the January 17 issue of the journal Cancer Cell concludes that anti-angiogenic therapies (which shrink cancer by cutting off tumors' blood supply) may be killing the body's natural defense against cancer by destroying pericyte cells that likely serve as important gatekeepers against cancer progression and metastasis. Pericytes cover blood vessels and support their growth.

For the new research, Raghu Kalluri, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Matrix Biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS), investigated whether targeting pericytes could inhibit tumor growth in the same way that other antiangiogenic cancer drugs do.

Dr. Kalluri and his research team worked with mice genetically engineered to support drug-induced depletion of pericytes in growing tumors. Next, they removed pericytes in implanted mouse breast cancer tumors, decreasing pericyte numbers by 60 percent.

Compared with control animals, there was a 30 percent decrease in the size of cancerous tumors over 25 days. But there was a serious catch to these results. Contrary to conventional mainsteam medical wisdom, the scientists discovered the number of secondary lung tumors in the engineered mice had increased threefold compared to the control mice, indicating that the tumors had metastasized.

How cancer drugs can spread cancer cells

"If you just looked at tumor growth, the results were good," Dr. Kalluri said in a press statement. "But when you looked at the whole picture, inhibiting tumor vessels was not controlling cancer progression. The cancer was, in fact, spreading. This suggested to us that without supportive pericytes, the vasculature inside the tumor was becoming weak and leaky -- even more so than it already is inside most tumors-- and this was reducing the flow of oxygen to the tumor."

That change, he explains, makes cancer cells more mobile, so they can travel through those leaky vessels to new locations. It also makes cancer cells behave more like stem cells, so they are better able to survive.

Because cancer therapies such as Imatinib, Sunitinib and others are known to decrease pericytes in tumors, the scientists next carried out the same experiments in mice with primary tumors. Only this time, they used the chemotherapy drugs Imatinib and Sunitinib instead of genetic programs to decrease pericyte numbers. Both Imatinib and Sunitinib caused 70 percent pericyte depletion -- and they also increased metastasis threefold.

In order to see if their findings are relevant to human patients, the research team examined 130 breast cancer tumor samples of varying cancer stages and tumor sizes and compared pericyte levels with prognoses. The result? The samples with low numbers of pericytes in tumor vasculature correlated with the most deeply invasive cancers, distant metastasis and five to ten year survival rates less than 20 percent.

"These results are quite provocative and will influence clinical programs designed to target tumor angiogenesis," Ronald A. DePinho, president of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said in a press statement. "These impressive studies will inform and refine potential therapeutic approaches for many cancers."

For more information:

http://www.bidmc.org/

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034693_cancer_drugs_tumors_aggressive.html#ixzz1jxyVw27x

RELATED ARTICLES:

Are X-Ray Mammography Screenings Finding Cancers That Are Not There? See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Are-X-Ray-Mammography-Screenings-Finding-Cancers-That-Are-Not-There.shtml

Sunlight Prevents Cancer: Proven by Research From 100+ Countrie. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Sunlight-Prevents-Cancer-Proven-by-Research-From-100-Countries.shtml

The Surprising Cause of Melanoma (And No, it's Not Too Much Sun. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/The-Surprising-Cause-of-Melanoma-And-No-it-s-Not-Too-Much-Sun.shtml

Seeing RED over PINK: The Dark Side of Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Part I (Repost - with aditional PDF on natural solutions): http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Seeing-RED-over-PINK-The-Dark-Side-of-Breast-Cancer-Awareness-Month---Part-I-Repost---with-aditional-PDF-on-natural-solutions.shtml

Gardening activities reduce lung cancer risk by 50% See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Environment_Science_69/Gardening-activities-reduce-lung-cancer-risk-by-50.shtml

PJ #65 " THE LAST GREAT PLAGUE UPON MAN: AIDS AND RELATED MURDER TOOLS ", chapter 9 & 10. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Phoenix_Journals_61/PJ-65-THE-LAST-GREAT-PLAGUE-UPON-MAN-AIDS-AND-RELATED-MURDER-TOOLS-chapter-9-10.shtml

Natural sunlight destroys breast cancer tumors through creation of Vitamin D. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Natural_sunlight_destroys_breast_cancer_tumors_thr_3714.shtml

The Great Cancer Hoax: The Brilliant Cure the FDA Tried Their Best to Shut Down... See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/The-Great-Cancer-Hoax-The-Brilliant-Cure-the-FDA-Tried-Their-Best-to-Shut-Down.shtml
[Full list of cancer related articles attached.],

Royal Rife: Cancer Cure Genius Silenced by Medical Mafia. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Royal_Rife_Cancer_Cure_Genius_Silenced_by_Medical__3740.shtml

John Hopkins New advice about Cancer. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/John_Hopkins_New_advice_about_Cancer_3649.shtml

Repost: Study reveals huge overdiagnosis of cancer causing unnecessary treatment and suffering. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Repost-Study-reveals-huge-overdiagnosis-of-cancer-causing-unnecessary-treatment-and-suffering.shtml

AND: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Study-reveals-huge-overdiagnosis-of-cancer-causing-unnecessary-treatment-and-suffering.shtml

Prostate cancer screening has zero benefit concludes 20-year study. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Prostate-cancer-screening-has-zero-benefit-concludes-20-year-study.shtml

27 Years: No Deaths from Vitamins, 3 Million from Prescription Drugs. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/27-Years-No-Deaths-from-Vitamins-3-Million-from-Prescription-Drugs.shtml

The American Cancer Society Runs With the Money and Away from the Cure, Part V http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/The-American-Cancer-Society-Runs-With-the-Money-and-Away-from-the-Cure-Part-V.shtml

The American Cancer Society Runs With the Money and Away from the Cure, Part II http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/The-American-Cancer-Society-Runs-With-the-Money-and-Away-from-the-Cure-Part-II.shtml

Making the World Safe for Cancer http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/Making-the-World-Safe-for-Cancer.shtml

Breast Cancer Deception Month: Hiding the Truth beneath a Sea of Pink, Part V http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Breast_Cancer_Deception_Month_Hiding_the_Truth_ben_4007.shtml

Prostate cancer screening has zero benefit concludes 20-year study. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Prostate-cancer-screening-has-zero-benefit-concludes-20-year-study.shtml

Natural sunlight destroys breast cancer tumors through creation of Vitamin D. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Natural_sunlight_destroys_breast_cancer_tumors_thr_3714.shtml

Dr. confesses Cancer & other Viruses is found in Vaccine. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages

Apricot Seeds Kill Cancer Cells without Side Effects. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Apricot_Seeds_Kill_Cancer_Cells_without_Side_Effec_3739.shtml

Walnuts Found to Prevent Breast Cancer. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Walnuts_Found_to_Prevent_Breast_Cancer_3738.shtml

Dr. Hulda Clark's Last (& Most Important) Video Demonstration. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Dr-Hulda-Clark-s-Last-Most-Important-Video-Demonstration.shtml

Dr. Hulda Clark In Loving Memory of the Master Herbalist. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Dr_Hulda_Clark_In_Loving_Memory_of_the_Master_Herb_3601.shtm

A New View of Cancer -- German New Medicine.See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/A_New_View_of_Cancer_--_German_New_Medicine_3750.shtml

Stand up to the cancer industry and its celebrity-powered hucksterism (opinion). See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Stand-up-to-the-cancer-industry-and-its-celebrity-powered-hucksterism-opinion.shtml

The Cancer Test that’s a Death Trap…See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/The-Cancer-Test-that-s-a-Death-Trap.shtml

Mammograms cause breast cancer, groundbreaking new research declares. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Healing_57/Mammograms_cause_breast_cancer_groundbreaking_new__4106.shtml

The American Cancer Society Runs With the Money and Away from the Cure, Part V http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/The-American-Cancer-Society-Runs-With-the-Money-and-Away-from-the-Cure-Part-V.shtml

The American Cancer Society Runs With the Money and Away from the Cure, Part II http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/The-American-Cancer-Society-Runs-With-the-Money-and-Away-from-the-Cure-Part-II.shtml

Making the World Safe for Cancer http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/Making-the-World-Safe-for-Cancer.shtml

Breast Cancer Deception Month: Hiding the Truth beneath a Sea of Pink, Part V http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Breast_Cancer_Deception_Month_Hiding_the_Truth_ben_4007.shtml

Breast Cancer Deception Month: Hiding the Truth beneath a Sea of Pink, Part IV See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Healing_57/Breast_Cancer_Deception_Month_Hiding_the_Truth_ben_3918.shtml

Breast Cancer Deception Month: Hiding the Truth beneath a Sea of Pink, Part III. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Healing_57/Breast_Cancer_Deception_Month_Hiding_the_Truth_ben_3917.shtml

Breast Cancer Deception Month: Hiding the Truth beneath a Sea of Pink, Part II. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Healing_57/Breast_Cancer_Deception_Month_Hiding_the_Truth_ben_3916.shtml

Breast Cancer Deception Month: Hiding the Truth beneath a Sea of Pink, Part I. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Healing_57/Breast_Cancer_Deception_Month_Hiding_the_Truth_ben_3914.shtml

Breast Cancer - The Pink Lie http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Breast_Cancer_-_The_Pink_Lie_3926.shtml

Susan G. Komen for the Cure makes mockery of self with KFC pinkwashing campaign (opinion).See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Susan-G-Komen-for-the-Cure-makes-mockery-of-self-with-KFC-pinkwashing-campaign-opinion.shtml

A Shocking Look at Cancer Studies, with Filmmaker Mike Anderson. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/A_Shocking_Look_at_Cancer_Studies_with_Filmmaker_M_2338.shtml

Royal Rife: Cancer Cure Genius Silenced by Medical Mafia http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Royal_Rife_Cancer_Cure_Genius_Silenced_by_Medical__3740.shtml

Walnuts Found to Prevent Breast Cancer http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Walnuts_Found_to_Prevent_Breast_Cancer_3738.shtml

Apricot Seeds Kill Cancer Cells without Side Effects http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Apricot_Seeds_Kill_Cancer_Cells_without_Side_Effec_3739.shtml

Natural sunlight destroys breast cancer tumors through creation of Vitamin D http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Natural_sunlight_destroys_breast_cancer_tumors_thr_3714.shtml

John Hopkins New advice about Cancer http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/John_Hopkins_New_advice_about_Cancer_3649.shtml

Winning the War on Cancer http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Winning_the_War_on_Cancer_2301.shtml

Exposed: 10 Facts about the Breast Cancer Industry You're Not Supposed to Know (opinion) http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Exposed_10_Facts_about_the_Breast_Cancer_Industry__2277.shtml

Cancer: Why There is No Mainstream Cure. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Cancer-Why-There-is-No-Mainstream-Cure.shtml

LA Times pinkwashing reaches new low by pushing "preventive" chemotherapy drugs for women. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/LA-Times-pinkwashing-reaches-new-low-by-pushing-preventive-chemotherapy-drugs-for-women.shtml/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Dr-confesses-Cancer-other-Viruses-is-found-in-Vaccines.shtml

Socially active environment can cause cancer tumors to shrink and even disappear. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Socially-active-environment-can-cause-cancer-tumors-to-shrink-and-even-disappear.shtml

Maybe you aren't doomed to cancer or other diseases because of your genes; scientists find risk research is inaccurate. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Maybe-you-aren-t-doomed-to-cancer-or-other-diseases-because-of-your-genes-scientists-find-risk-research-is-inaccurate.shtml

Scientists reverse stance on sun and cancer: Now they admit sunlight can prevent skin cancer. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Scientists-reverse-stance-on-sun-and-cancer-Now-they-admit-sunlight-can-prevent-skin-cancer.shtml

Winning the War on Cancer. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Winning_the_War_on_Cancer_2301.shtml

The Results Are In - Industrial Agriculture And Industrial Medicine vs Organic Farming And Organic Medicine. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Daniel_Raphael_amp_Monjoronson_59/The-Results-Are-In---Industrial-Agriculture-And-Industrial-Medicine-vs-Organic-Farming-And-Organic-Medicine.shtml

Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Scientists-cure-cancer-but-no-one-takes-notice.shtml

Marijuana cuts lung cancer tumor growth in half, Harvard study shows. see: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Marijuana-cuts-lung-cancer-tumor-growth-in-half-Harvard-study-shows.shtml

RUN FROM THE CURE - The Rick Simpson Story. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/RUN_FROM_THE_CURE_-_The_Rick_Simpson_Story_3873.shtm

Healing Hemp Oil. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Healing_57/Healing_Hemp_Oil_3874.shtml

Mycoplasma - The Linking Pathogen in Neurosystemic Diseases. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Mycoplasma_-_The_Linking_Pathogen_in_Neurosystemic_1885.shtml
See:http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/It-s-true-Airport-body-scanners-could-give-you-cancer.shtml

33 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True, What Every Person Should Know... (Updated, Revised and Extended). See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Political_Information_43/33-Conspiracy-Theories-That-Turned-Out-To-Be-True-What-Every-Person-Should-Know-Updated-Revised-and-Extended.shtml

Cannabinoids Kill Cancer And US 'Government' Has Known for 36 Years. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/Cannabinoids-Kill-Cancer-And-US-Government-Has-Known-for-36-Years.shtml

Big Pharma CEO Fakes Cancer while Pill-Pushing Doctor Fakes Clinical Trial Results for Bextra, Effexor and Celebrex. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/Big_Pharma_CEO_Fakes_Cancer_while_Pill-Pushing_Doc_2777.shtml

Doctors don't tell patients the truth about the treatments they'd use themselves. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Doctors-don-t-tell-patients-the-truth-about-the-treatments-they-d-use-themselves.shtml

Lemons: Stronger than CHEMOTHERAPY. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Lemons-Stronger-than-CHEMOTHERAPY.shtml

How does mistletoe help to fight cancer? See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/How_does_mistletoe_help_to_fight_cancer_4284.shtml

Vitamin D: Let the Sun Give You Healthy Skin. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Vitamin-D-Let-the-Sun-Give-You-Healthy-Skin.shtml

Exposed: 10 Facts about the Breast Cancer Industry You're Not Supposed to Know (opinion). See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Exposed_10_Facts_about_the_Breast_Cancer_Industry__2277.shtml

Adult stem cells treat a host of diseases, say doctors. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Adult-stem-cells-treat-a-host-of-diseases-say-doctors.shtml

It's true: Airport body scanners could give you cancer. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/It-s-true-Airport-body-scanners-could-give-you-cancer.shtml

Placebo fraud rocks the very foundation of modern medical science; thousands of clinical trials invalidated. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Placebo-fraud-rocks-the-very-foundation-of-modern-medical-science-thousands-of-clinical-trials-invalidated.shtml

Recent Barbaric Experiments in Medicine. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/Recent-Barbaric-Experiments-in-Medicine.shtml

Busted: Wyeth Used Ghostwriters To Place Over 40 "Scientific" Articles In Medical Journals See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Busted-Wyeth-Used-Ghostwriters-To-Place-Over-40-Scientific-Articles-In-Medical-Journals.shtml

Nine Ways to Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Healing_57/Nine_Ways_to_Reduce_the_Risk_of_Breast_Cancer_3915.shtml

On the quiet, the US is legalising marijuana. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/True_US_History_108/On_the_quiet_the_US_is_legalising_marijuana_3905.shtml

Germain on Radiation from PJ's. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Phoenix_Journals_61/Germain-on-Radiation-from-PJ-s.shtml

Some Big Lies of Science. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Political_Information_43/Some-Big-Lies-of-Science.shtml

The 10 biggest health care lies in America. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/The-10-biggest-health-care-lies-in-America.shtml

Confessions of a Cancer Industry Insider. See: http://abundanthope.net/pages/Health_and_Nutrition_37/Confessions-of-a-Cancer-Industry-Insider.shtml

Detailed explanation of AbundantHope's Copyrights are found here