Medical breakthrough: Why chemotherapy stops working for some cancers

A study published in the journal Nature Communications by physicians at a hospital in Houston, U.S., examines why chemotherapy is sometimes ineffective in cancer treatment.

Researchers found that when tumor cells die, they can release a signaling molecule that prompts the immune system to protect cancer cells rather than attack them.

According to the study, the commonly used chemotherapy drug gemcitabine can, in some cases, trigger pyroptosis — a form of inflammatory cell death in which cancer cells rupture and release the IL-1α molecule. This compound then migrates to the bone marrow and reprograms immune activity, leading the body to produce cells that support tumor growth instead of eliminating it.

Read also: The lycopene shift: Kazakhstan’s new low-cost supplement for cancer prevention.

The study suggests that blocking this inflammatory signaling pathway may restore the immune system’s ability to respond properly and improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

Researchers said the findings could pave the way for early-stage clinical trials testing therapies that inhibit this immune-suppressing mechanism.

In February, Kursiv.media reported that cancer survival rates in Kazakhstan have increased, alongside improvements in early cancer detection.