Using oxygen to fight tumors

Oxygen is at the center of research conducted by scientists at Zurich's university hospital. But instead of depriving tumors of oxygen - as you may expect - the researchers are upping the load.

They are using the chemical molecule ITPP (Inositol Trispyrophosphat).

The idea is that ITPP should normalize blood vessels changed by a tumor by increasing the oxygen flow to those vessels. Then, a patient would start on chemotherapy, says Pierre-Alain Clavien, the director of the study.

"We have seen that in animals, chemotherapy is a lot more effective this way," Clavien says. "If we combine both these things, we achieve very good results."

Treating dangerous tumors

Tumors in the pancreas, in the liver and in the colon are among the most malignant kinds of cancer.

If the illness is caught at an early stage, the cancer can usually be operated.

But if the tumor progresses too far, it becomes impossible to operate, and patients may undergo radiation or chemotherapy.

These treatments inhibit the growth of vessels in a tumor. Less oxygen gets into the cancer, slowing the tumor's growth. It has been a common treatment until now.

New studies have shown, however, that the exact opposite may be happening.

"When the tumor has reached a certain size, the oxygen flow from the blood isn't enough to feed it anymore," says Perparim Limani at the Center for Liver and Pancreatic Illness at Zurich university hospital. "A so-called hypoxie develops in the tumor, which means oxygen levels are reduced. This hypoxie changes the tumor's metabolism and its behavior."

In other words: reducing the flow of oxygen can make a tumor more aggressive.

Malicious metastasis

Tumors can start to move on the backs of blood and lymphatic vessels, reaching organs that have more oxygen. And that's when metastases - secondary malignant growths - can develop.

"Metastasis remains the biggest challenge," says Professor Hellmut Augustin a researcher based at Heidelberg. "The primary tumor that can be accessed by the surgeon can usually be removed. The metastases are what kill you. Their growth is a step in the process that we understand the least."

First studies underway

Swissmedic, the Swiss agency tasked with the authorization and supervision of therapeutic products, and Zurich's ethics commission have approved the ITPP drug for studies in January 2015.

Seventy patients will now be treated with it. The main aim of the study is to assess tolerance to ITPP and gauge the best dosage.

"We also hope to gather first results on the effects that ITPP has on tumors in humans," says researcher Perparim Limani.

If the tests are successful, the drug could be marketed in three to five years at the earliest.

The university hospital in Zurich calls the treatment "a radical new way to fight cancer."

But Heidelberg Professor Hellmut Augustin is skeptical.

"It remains to be seen whether this treatment is better or not," he told DW. "Calling it radical is a little exaggerated. But it's definitely an interesting approach."