COVID-19 disease can kill cancer cells in cancer patients. This was announced on Wednesday, April 14, by the allergist-immunologist Vladimir Bolibok to the portal URA.ru.
“Any infectious disease, including coronavirus, can lead to the activation of the immune system and the destruction of a malignant tumor. One of the earliest drugs for the treatment of cancer, “toxin rut”, consisted of an extract of two types of bacteria. They caused an increase in body temperature, fever, after which the tumor regressed, ”the doctor said.
The ability of COVID-19 to affect cancer cells was also confirmed by the oncologist, senior researcher at the Institute of Clinical Oncology of the ONTs RAMS Yevgeny Cheremushkin.
“The message is absolutely correct, because in the treatment of cancer we also use various methods of stimulating immunity, so if this burst of immune activity is caused by a virus, then it is no different. Some of the tumor cells may die in this fire, ”the doctor explained.
Cheryomushkin added that at the moment, experiments are being carried out, during which viruses are injected into the tumor tissue. However, this method of stimulating immunity is still under study. Research results will be available in the next three to five years.
On the same day, scientists told Izvestia about the development of a new technology for cancer diagnostics, which would allow diagnosing a tumor without damaging the skin. It was reported that the procedure resembles an ultrasound scan and will be painless for the patient. In addition, the analysis of the histological image by artificial intelligence will eliminate the possibility of human error in the diagnosis, which can be fatal for the patient.