• Tata Memorial Centre has claimed to have discovered a treatment that can prevent cancer recurrence.
  • After working for ten years, the researchers and doctors have developed a tablet that they claim would prevent cancer recurrence.
  • For the research, human cancer cells were inserted in rats, forming a tumor. 
  • The rats were then treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. 
  • When these cancer cells die, they break into tiny pieces called Chromatin particles (cfChPs, or fragments of chromosomes), which can travel to other parts of the body through the bloodstream.
  • Some of the cfChPs may combine with healthy chromosomes and cause new tumors.
  • For this problem, doctors gave the rats pro-oxidant tablets with resveratrol and copper (R+Cu).
  • The 'R+Cu,' when taken orally, generates oxygen radicals in the stomach, which are quickly absorbed to enter the blood circulation. 
  • The oxygen radicals destroy cfChPs released in circulation and prevent the movement of cancer cells from one part of the body to another. 
  • This tablet claims to reduce the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy by 50%.
  • It can also be effective on the pancreas, lungs, and oral cancer.
  • The tablet is awaiting approval from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 
  • While the budget for the treatment ranges from lakhs to crores, this tablet will be available everywhere for just Rs. 100.

Source: NDTV