Health security

New anti-cancer treatment significantly reduces tumor size

A new anti-cancer chemical compound was found capable of reducing tumor size and weight by up to two-thirds in laboratory tests done by researchers from the City University of Hong Kong that made results public on Monday. 

The problem in the fight against cancer is that the drugs used in chemotherapy are not controllably activated. Like a shotgun, they can impact the growth of a malignant tumor but in the process impair healthy cells, according to the university. 

The new chemical compound, phorbiplatin, developed by Zhu Guangyu, Associate Professor in the university's Department of Chemistry and his team, can increase the accuracy of chemotherapy. It offers hope for minimizing the damage that normal cells undergo during treatment for a broad range of cancers, in particular for breast and ovarian cancers.