>> TALKING HEALTH THIS MORNING
WITH DR. SCOTT ACKERMAN, ONE OF
THE MAIN CAUSES OF CANCER
RELATED DEATHS, TREATMENTS
AGAINST IT ARE INEFFECTIVE BUT
NEW RESEARCH MAY HAVE FOUND A
WAY TO SLOW AND MAYBE EVEN STOP
THE SPREAD OF CANCER CELLS.
JOINING ME IS DR. SCOTT ACKERMAN
TO DISCUSS THE NEW FINDINGS.
IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE UNLESS
YOU'VE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH
CANCER, I WOULD PRESUME YOU
WOULD THINK THAT PERHAPS
PARTICULARLY IN LATE STAGES THAT
THAT'S THE CANCER THAT KILLS YOU
BUT OFTENTIMES IT'S THE FACT IT
SPREADS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE
BODY WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT HERE.
>> WHEN YOU HAVE CANCER, IF IT'S
CONTAINED TO ONE PART OF THE
BODY, THAT CAN USUALLY BE
REMOVED OR RADIATED AND THE
PATIENT IS CURED.
WHEN THE PATIENTS HAVE PROBLEMS
WITH CANCER, WHEN THEY DIE OF
CANCER, IT'S BECAUSE -- IT'S NOT
BECAUSE OF THE TUMOR.
IT CAN BE BUT NOT NECESSARILY
BECAUSE OF THE TUMOR.
MORE OFTEN BECAUSE O
METASTASIS, THE CANCER SPREADS
TO ANOTHER PART OF THE BODY AND
THE CONTINUED SPREADING
THROUGHOUT THE BODY CAUSES
PROBLEMS WITH ORGAN SHUTDOWN,
ORGAN FAILURE AND EVENTUALLY
THAT CAUSES DEATH.
>> I THINK THEY REFER TO IT AS
LEGS.
CANCER THAT HAS LEGS AND SPREADS
OUT.
THIS IS INCREDIBLY ENCOURAGING,
IS IT NOT, TO BE ABLE TO STOP
THAT FROM HAPPENING?
THIS WOULD BE A MAJOR
BREAKTHROUGH.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WHOLE PROBLEM NOW IS WE TREAT
CANCER, THINK IT'S LOCALIZED AND
WE TREAT IT WITH SURGERY TO
REMOVE IT, WITH RADIATION AND
THEN WE COME TO FIND THAT REALLY
THE CANCER HAS SPREAD AND WE
DIDN'T KNOW IT HAD SPREAD OR
SPREAD TO OTHER PARTS OF THE
BODY AND THAT CANCER THAT SPREAD
IS WHAT CAUSES PROBLEMS AND
CAUSES CANCER DEATH.
SO THIS STUDY IS VERY
ENCOURAGING AS A WAY TO HELP
PREVENT THE CANCER FROM
SPREADING WHILE WE TREAT IT
LOCALLY.
>> IS IT JUST BECAUSE THEY NOW
KNOW HOW TO STOP IT OR SLOW IT
WHERE THEY CAN THEN, FOR
EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE DIAGNOSED,
YOU KNOW, WITH BREAST CANCER
THAT THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL FORM
OF TREATMENT THAT THEY CAN GIVE
YOU TO PREVENT IT FROM
SPREADING?
>> THIS IS ALL VERY, VE
PRELIMINARY STUFF.
WE HEAR ABOUT THINGS ALL THE
TIME AND THEY ULTIMATELY, MANY
OF THEM COME TO FRUITION.
THIS IS ALL STUDIES DONE IN A
PETRI DISH SO CANCER CELLS ARE
JUST IN A DISH.
IF YOU ADD -- THE CANCER HAS
LEGS THAT HELP THEM MOVE FROM
THE ORIGINAL SITE AND SO IF YOU
CAN STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING,
WHAT THEY DO IS THEY INSERTED
GOLD NANO PARTICLES INTO THE
CANCER CELLS AND THEN STIMULATED
THEM WITH A LASER TYPE OF
ENERGY.
AND THAT BASICALLY FROZE THOSE
CELLS AND PREVENTED THE CELLS
FROM HAVING THE ABILITY TO MOVE
AWAY FROM THE ORIGINAL TUMOR.
THE THOUGHT IS THAT MAYBE, YOU
KNOW, WITH FURTHER DEVELOPMENT,
IF WE CAN FIND A WAY TO USE THIS
CLINICALLY, PERHAPS IT CAN BE
USED WHEN A WOMAN OR MAN IS
FIRST DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, SO
BREAST CANCER YOU USE AS AN
EXAMPLE.
MAYBE SHE'S GOING TO BE GETTING
CHEMOTHERAPY BEFORE SURGERY OR
SHE'S GOING TO HAVE SURGERY IN A
FEW WEEKS, MAYBE YOU CAN USE
THIS NOW TO KIND OF ARREST
THINGS AND PREVENT THAT FROM
SPREADING WHILE YOU MOVE FORWARD
WITH THE TREATMENT.
>> ARE THERE CERTAIN FORMS OF
CANCER MORE PRONE TO SPREADING?
>> YES.
YES.
SO MANY CANCERS DON'T VERY
RARELY SPREAD BUT THEY'RE STILL
CANCERS.
BRAIN TUMORS TYPICALLY DON'T
SPREAD.
BUT CANCER OF THE LUNG, BREAST
CANCER, PROSTATE CANCER, WE HEAR
ABOUT THOSE CANCERS SPREADING
OFTEN.
CANCER OF THE THROAT.
THEY SPREAD.
SO REALLY, MANY CANCERS THAT WE
HAVE SPREAD.
ALL OF THOSE CANCERS HAVING THIS
TOOL, ONCE IT BECOMES MORE
CLINICAL, HAVING THIS TOOL WILL
BE A GREAT WAY TO INCREASE THE
POTENTIAL TO CURE CANCER.
>> CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO FOLLOW
IT BECAUSE THIS COULD BE GROUND
BREAKING.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON THE
MORNING SHOW.
IF YOU MISSED ANY OF THE
INTERVIEW, WE'RE GOING TO POST