Cancer researchers at the Tata Memorial Centre recently announced the development of a cancer drug priced at Rs 100, which has the potential to prevent cancer relapse. Subsequently, several news websites misleadingly published headlines claiming that Tata Memorial had discovered a cancer cure in the form of a Rs 100 pill.
News websites such as NDTV and Zee News were among the first to publish the announcement.
BOOM also received WhatsApp forwards in Bangla with the same claim on our Helpline number.
According to news reports, the researchers and doctors at the institute have dedicated a decade of work to develop a tablet aimed at preventing cancer recurrence in patients. In an interview with NDTV, Dr. Rajendra Badwe, director of the Tata Memorial Centre, stated that the tablet is likely to receive approval from the Indian drug regulator between June and July this year. The tablet aims to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment. The doctor highlighted that once approved, the tablet could potentially reduce side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy by 50% and the likelihood of cancer recurrence by 30%.
While this marks a significant milestone for cancer treatment researchers and survivors, oncologists cautioned BOOM that drawing definitive conclusions about the latest findings is premature due to inadequate human trials in the study.
Why are the claims misleading?
BOOM spoke to oncologists who emphasised that the study is incomplete without adequate human trials. They noted that only a press release has been issued, and the final paper has not yet been published, rendering the current findings hypothetical.
"It's premature to say it will be useful to prevent cancer or decrease side effects, the therapeutic effect is a matter of contention. And no human trials have yet been done to prove its role," Dr. Jagadishwar Gajagowni, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology at Apollo Cancer Centres, Hyderabad told BOOM.
Additionally, two studies were conducted—one involving rats and the other, humans. However, many news reports only focussed on the findings of the animal study.
"Every 4-6 weeks, there is some kind of of hyped-up news about potential cancer treatments," Dr Vineet Govinda Gupta, oncologist, senior consultant and unit head at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh in Delhi told BOOM. Given the desperation for hopeful developments in the field of cancer, even minor advances are often portrayed as significant gains by the news media," he said.
Moreover, the research institute itself put out a statement emphasising the need for additional human trials with larger sample sizes. They highlighted that the effectiveness of the pill is yet to be established. "Additional human studies with larger sample sizes are required and are underway to find out whether these findings apply to human patients or not," they said.
They also highlighted that this pill is "not a substitute for established cancer treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy, which have been conclusively proven to provide benefits and result in cures in a substantial proportion of patients."
What are the findings & how do the pills work?
Researchers at the Tata institute have conducted two types of studies. The first study only involved rats. When cancer cells die within a patient's body due to treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy, they release fragments of DNA, known as cell-free chromatin particles, both doctors explained.
These are tiny particles released from dying cancer cells and have the ability to move through the bloodstream and may possibly have the ability to damage healthy cells, potentially leading to a relapse. The researchers aimed to investigate whether the release of these DNA fragments could be reduced.
To accomplish this, the researchers used two chemicals: Resveratrol, derived from grape juice extracts, and copper (R+Cu), which are the primary components of the Rs 100 pill. When the combination of two substances called R and Cu is taken orally, they create oxygen radicals in the body. These oxygen radicals subsequently degrade the cell-free chromatin particles in the body, potentially reducing its spread to other organs, explained Dr Gajagowni.
According to Dr Gupta, the second study was done on humans but the pill's role in cancer prevention was not observed at all. The aim of the second study was to find out if the pill could reduce the side effects caused by chemotherapy. Patients undergoing chemotherapy or bone-marrow transplant were given the combination of Resveratrol and copper to assess the occurrence of blisters in the mouth and throat, common side effects of these treatments. While study revealed a reduction in the occurrence of blisters in the mouth and throat, Dr Gupta cautioned the need for additional human trials before assuming the treatment's efficacy.
Drawbacks
The efficacy of a drug cannot be determined solely based on studies conducted on rats, as the physiological differences between rats and humans are significant. Rats studies serve as hypothesis-generating studies, and the findings may not apply to humans. Out of 100 drugs showing efficacy in rats, only a fraction may prove effective in humans, explained Dr Gupta.
Further, he said the main mechanism of this pill is oxidation, which means that it creates reactive oxygen species to damage the circulating chromatin. This damage causes free radical injuries. The injuries are also known to potentially damage other organs, cause premature ageing and cause secondary cancer. Hence it's extremely important to establish the safety of this drug.
Most importantly, any study claiming the increase of long-term survival of cancer must be supported by robust data and sustained follow-up over 2-3 years to prove prevention of relapse. "This study only represents the first phase, and further trials are needed. Long-term monitoring is essential to evaluate whether this drug safely and effectively prevents cancer recurrence in humans over an extended period," concluded Dr Gupta.