MORE THAN COSMETIC TREATMENT: Collagen, that gooey substance used in cosmetic circles for puffing lips and smoothing wrinkles, might someday aid in cancer treatment. Scientists have chemically combined a form of bovine collagen with a chemotherapy drug and a blood vessel constrictor to create a potent anti-cancer gel.
HOW IT WORKS: The collagen mixture has the distinction of being more liquid at room temperature than it is in the body. That means doctors can inject it into solid tumors, where it will solidify and trap the drug at the tumor. Normally, chemotherapy drugs don’t stay put, even when they are applied directly to a cancer site.
RESULTS OF EARLY TESTS: Research on the new collagen technique appears promising. In a study of 82 patients with solid tumors, all of whom had exhausted other treatments, half of the patients showed some improvement, and 39 percent of them saw their tumors disappear. In addition, the patients did not report any side effects because only their tumors were exposed to the drug.
