The medication infused in the patches will seep directly into the surgical site, targeting residual cancer cells and minimizing the harmful side effects of chemotherapy.
A team of scientists at the University of South Australia (UniSA) has designed post-surgery patches that can eliminate over 80% of cancer cells in the liver and significantly reduce recurrence rates.
Cancer cell elimination patch. (Illustration: UVAHealth).
Made from gel, these patches are infused with doses of the anti-cancer drugs 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and cisplatin (Cis) and are precisely placed at the surgical site where the tumor has been removed.
The medication infused in the patches will seep directly into the surgical site, addressing remaining cancer cells and minimizing the harmful side effects of chemotherapy. An additional “plus” is that they are biodegradable.
In addition to liver cancer, the research indicates that these post-surgery patches could also treat other cancers for which 5FU and Cis have previously proven effective, including ovarian cancer and head and neck cancers.
Mrs. Souha Youssef, a co-author of the study at UniSA’s Pharmaceutical Innovation Centre, stated that these patches could revolutionize liver cancer treatment, helping to meet the ongoing treatment needs of patients who stop chemotherapy after surgery due to severe side effects.
According to statistics published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2022, it was estimated that in 2020, approximately 905,700 people worldwide were diagnosed with liver cancer, and 830,200 people died from this dangerous disease.
