Can Cancer Tumors Be Starved To Death Essay

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Can Cancer Tumors Be Starved to Death?
Introduction
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There is research being conducted by a Harvard University researcher, Dr. Judah Folkman about whether cancer tumors can be starved to death. It might be possible to starve cancer tumors to death, but it is not actually clear if it will cure cancer or not. Removal of a primary tumor sometimes leads to a growth of a second one. If researchers could find a way to cure cancer, it could save a lot of lives. Folkman found two cancer inhibitors, angiostatin and endostatin, that he thinks might be a way to cure cancer. Five laboratories have also isolated their own angiogenesis inhibitors. How tumors start angiogenesis is what motivates cancer specialists to conduct cancer research.
Folkman wants to see if he could
…show more content…
Understanding the process of how angiogenesis inhibitors work to block tumor growth is important in finding a way to cure cancer. One thing researchers have found promising in their researches is hypoxia. When a tumor grows, it exceeds its blood supply, and its interior becomes depleted of oxygen. As a result of hypoxia, genes are turned on that survive under low oxygen pressure. Genes are also turned on that increase blood flow to the tumor by the formation of small blood vessels. “Gaining a better understanding of how tumors induce angiogenesis has become a high priority of cancer research. One promising line of research concerns hypoxia. As a solid tumor grows and outstrips its blood supply, its interior becomes hypoxic (oxygen depleted). In response to hypoxia, it appears that genes are turned on that promote survival under low oxygen pressure, including ones that increase blood flow to the tumor by promoting angiogenesis. Understanding this process may give important clues as to how angiogenesis inhibitors work to inhibit tumor

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