IKBFU Scientists Research New Methods of Decreasing Cancer Relapse Chances

The scientific and practical congress of oncologists was carried out in Kaliningrad. The event was organized by the regional Ministry of Health and the Regional Clinical Hospital (RCH). More than a hundred representatives of the region's oncological service and other profile specialties, heads of medical organizations gathered at the forum.

The experts were the experts of the I.Kant Baltic Federal University, N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology and clinics of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

IKBFU scientists are conducting research that will reduce the risk of recurrence in cancer patients and increase the effectiveness of targeted therapy. Statistically, 75% of tumors recur within the first five years. And it's much harder to have a successful outcome the second time around. An analogy can be made here with the treatment of infectious diseases.

Ekaterina Semina, Deputy Head for Development and Project Activities of the Educational and Scientific Cluster "MEDBIO" at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University:
Many chemotherapy devices are essentially antibiotics. Antibiotics are drugs that aim to kill some cells. If we pick the wrong dose of antibiotic or the wrong antibiotic, we get a resistant strain of bacteria, which we have to treat not with the first, second line of drugs, but with already "heavy-duty" reserve antibiotics. The same happens with tumor cells — the wrong drug can lead to the development of a resistant strain of tumor, which will give a relapse.

Ekaterina Semina, Deputy Head for Development and Project Activities of the Educational and Scientific Cluster "MEDBIO" at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University:

Many chemotherapy devices are essentially antibiotics. Antibiotics are drugs that aim to kill some cells. If we pick the wrong dose of antibiotic or the wrong antibiotic, we get a resistant strain of bacteria, which we have to treat not with the first, second line of drugs, but with already "heavy-duty" reserve antibiotics. The same happens with tumor cells — the wrong drug can lead to the development of a resistant strain of tumor, which will give a relapse.

Also, scientists are conducting a large-scale screening study of more than 400 women from Kaliningrad. The participants are those, who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, who have no signs of the disease, as well as women who are at risk of malignant tumors. This is one of the most extensive works in Russia. Scientists selected 12 mutations that can help anticipate the onset of cancer and prevent it.