Although surgery aims to help cancer patients extend their lives, it causes considerable chaos in the immune systems of these patients.
The release of stress hormones often makes the situation worse by allowing tumors to spread.
Fortunately, researchers at Tel Aviv University are developing a new clinical approach that may lead to more effective cancer operations.
Approximately half of the patients who undergo surgery to remove tumors experience a recurrence of cancer.
Professor Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu of Tel Aviv University's Department of Psychology believes that a competent immune system is necessary before, during, and after this procedure.
He and his team of scientists are testing a formula that includes a beta-adrenergic antagonist, which treats hypertension and anxiety, and a Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, which targets the enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain.
Their primary goal is to prevent the negative effects of stress hormones on the body.
If their experiment is successful, the immune system will maintain its strength and prevent the occurrence of new tumors.
Professor Ben-Eliyahu examined this combination of compounds during his past research on animals with cancer.
He discovered that it effectively blocked the stress hormones in the animals.
In addition, it increased the long-term post-operative survival rate by as much as three hundred percent.
"In rats and mice, it works with great success," he said.
The researchers hope to begin their clinical trial in the near future.
They have already begun recruiting colon cancer patients for this study.
If their formula is effective, they can help make tumor removal surgery safer and preserve the lives of more cancer patients.