Two types of cancer cells and cytotoxic therapies.
As previously described in a series of hypotheses (1-5), cancer tissue consists of two types of cancer cells: maturable and non-maturable. Almost all of the cancer tissue is composed of the maturable type. However, the rest, even if very few in number, consists of the non-maturable type. These non-maturable cells contribute to establishment of cancer organoid continuity and are responsible for oncogenesis, whereas the maturable cells, while organizing almost all of the tissue, gradually mature into end cells and eventually complete their limited life-spans without contributing to continuity. During the maturation process to the end-cell phase, most cancer cell characteristics can be expressed only by maturable cells, not non-maturable cells. Since most cytotoxic cancer therapies appear to be designed simply to exploit the cell characteristics expressed only in maturable cells, they may only be effective in destroying maturable cells which complete their life-span, not the non-maturable cells responsible for oncogenesis. Such therapy cannot be regarded as genuine cancer eradication, even if it destroys numerous cancer cells, and decreases cancer volume. Therefore, instead of the cytotoxic therapy employed up until now, a different concept of cancer therapy must be devised in an attempt to achieve genuine cancer eradication.
Hirata
Y
Y
Hirata Hospital, Kochi City, Japan.
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008938:Mitosis; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents