Study: Cancer cells can revert to normal

Stanford, Calif -- Cancer starts when key cellular signals become abnormal, but U.S. medical scientists say they've discovered cancer can be reversed by lowering such signals.

Stanford University School of Medicine researchers say they found lowering levels of one cellular signal under a specific threshold reverses the cancer process in mice, returning tumor cells to their normal, healthy state. The scientists say their finding could help target cancer chemotherapy to tumors, while minimizing side effects for the body's healthy cells.

The researchers identified a precise threshold level of the signaling molecule Myc that determined the fate of tumor cells in a cancer of the immune system in mice.

"This is a new concept," said Catherine Shachaf, who co-led the study with radiology researcher Andrew Gentles. She said previous research demonstrated turning Myc and other cancer signals all the way off can kill a tumor, but the new study marks the first time scientists have demonstrated a specific midway point at which a cancer reverted to a healthy level.

The findings are reported in the journal Cancer Research.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.