Studies have found that tumor bacteria can degrade cancer drugs

, thanks to a chance discovery, researchers have found one reason why chemotherapy drugs sometimes don't work. Bacteria in cancer cells have proven to destroy drugs and make them ineffective. The results were published
Journal.
findings or permits explain why the drug Gissithamin is rarely successful in treating pancreatic cancer patients. Of the 113 pancreatic cancer patients, three-thirds of live tissue tests found bacteria that destroyed gisithambin. The team that made the findings said the drug was also used to treat colon and bladder cancers, so the same effect could play a role in patients with these cancers.
Ravid
from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel
Although Straussman and colleague Leore analyzed samples of 113 pancreatic cancer tissue, the researchers found that 86 were infected with bacterial types that make cytosine desinease, including bacteria common to E. coli and salmonella.
of the 2,674 bacterial species subsequently tested (some known to live in the human body), 11% produced cytosine deaminase; nearly half were unable to produce it; and other bacteria produced other forms of enzymes that could not degrade the drug. The findings are consistent with bacterial infections obtained in other laboratories that block the outcome of chemotherapy. In subsequent trials, Straussman confirmed that antibiotics could prevent bacteria from destroying "Gissythabin". (Source: Science Network Xu Xu)