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Researchers discover ways to keep tumor cells alive

12/21/11

Researchers recently discovered a way to keep tumor cells alive in the lab, which could be a huge breakthrough in furthering cancer treatment.

According to Agence France-Presse, scientists have previously been unable to keep cancer cells alive long enough to maintain the look and actions of the cells. Doctors were previously using biopsied tissue that was frozen or set in wax to innovate treatment methods.

"This would really be the ultimate in personalized medicine," lead author Richard Schlegel, chairman of the department of pathology at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, said to the AFP. "The therapies would be exactly from their tissues. We would get normal tissue and tumor tissue from a particular patient and specifically match up their therapies."

The source reported that the advancements made by research have given doctors hope that they'll one day be able to test cancer-killing drugs on tumor cells before recommending treatment to a patient. The method of maintaining the consistency of the tumor cell, which kept lung, breast, prostate and colon cancers alive for two years, is similar to a method used in stem cell research.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 560,000 deaths from cancer a year, which might encourage Americans to invest in life insurance to prepare for unexpected health expenses.

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