Ask HN: Can't we think out of the box to kill the tumor?

[kinj28]

Current creativity is all focused around making T cells recognize tumor in my knowledge. Is there any one working in other kind of injectable cells that feed on this tumor and thinking differently?

Context: my father is a last stage patient (gastric melonama) and I think as an engineer that there ought to be some solution!

[bruce511]

Progress in fighting cancers has been enormous over the past couple decades. But there are challenges when developing new therapies.

It should be noted that "cancer" is not one thing. The term covers a range of different "diseases". Treatments, like "chemo" are also very varied.

For starters the current treatments (chemo, radiation, surgery) (and soon immunotherapy when the patents expire) are very effective against a range of different cancers. The most common ones (prostate and breast) have survival rates exceeding 90% if caught early.

For all cancers treating early is a good thing. So any novel approach has to be "compatible" with existing treatments. Bacterial experiments (on sick humans) for example are not compatible with chemo. To suggest a patient not take chemo is ethically hard.

So yes, there us a cohort like your father who are effectively post-treatment. The cancer is advanced and may have morphed into multiple different cancers. There is naturally an inclination to "try anything".

Unfortunately these patients make terrible case studies. They are typically very weakened, with multiple organs under attack, and the immune system generally low. So, layman's example, introducing a bacteria into such a person may kill the cancer, but would likely also kill the patient.

Remember that every "fail" is recorded against that drug or method. Having all your patients die tends to reflect poorly on a drug, even if those patients were already terminal. And, to be honest, if they're already terminal the chance of a new therapy working is pretty low.

I sympathize with you, I really do. I know this is not an easy time. There is of course a desire to try anything.

For others reading, early detection is key. Visiting a Dr at the first stage of trouble is something we all can get better at.

[mchannon]

How about a frog gut-derived bacterium that kills all kinds of cancer cells?

https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/new-study-frog-derived-gut-...

[kinj28]

This seems very promising

[Bender]

I can't recall the scientists name and his product was not yet approved so dont get your hopes up, but a scientist recently met with Donald Trump to attempt to get a process approved that increases the production on NK natural killer cells. Their trials had incredible success with many patients that had late stage cancers that had spread throughout their body. I just can't remember the scientists name. Potentially related [1].

It may be Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong [2]

There are of course natural techniques that can buy time and minimize the damage by chemo but if I dare suggest any of them I will get poo-poo'd on by HN regardless of how many or how good of references I provide. There are too many conflicts of interest here.

[1] - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260215225600.h...

[2] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnVMjp9mCA0

[kinj28]

This is helpful.

[rolph]

some may not like it but the mRNA approach to covid vaccine is applicable.

an mRNA that expresses antigens that are high signal to the immune system, such as measles antigen, packed into a lipid micelle bearing recognition molecules, specific to the immunoscape, of the tumor.

the bodys immune system would respond to tumour cells flagged with measles antigens, as if they were infected by measles, a robust response.

the concern is the extent of the tumor, and consequences for disruption of tissue or whole organ. not to mention the cost, for individual case vs participating in a research program.