DCA for cancer treatment
How long has humanity been plagued by cancer? The answer might surprise you. It looks like our ancestors faced the same challenges as we do in the 21st century. Some of the earliest proof of cancer is found among ancient mummies from Egypt. Archaeological evidence suggests that people of the past suffered from the same types of tumors as people do nowadays. However, ancient Egyptians had no clear understanding what cancer is and hence no effective therapies existed. The cause and cure for the dreaded disease have always remained a mystery. (Ref.) Fortunately, in the last century the progress in understanding oncological diseases has been tremendous. When anesthesia became available, surgeons rapidly developed operations that removed the entire tumor along with cancerous lymph nodes. (Ref.) During World War II, compounds blocking critical chemical reactions for DNA replication emerged. Further development of such cytotoxic agents led to the advent of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, these drugs targeted normal cells as well as cancer cells, therefore, safer yet effective alternatives were still needed. (Ref.) Before long, more sophisticated treatments such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy became available in oncology. The better understanding of cancer biology resulted in new age medicines. These medications could boost the immune system’s response to target malignant cells and hinder cancer growth, division as well as metastasis. (Ref.1), (Ref.2) Interestingly, the whole exploration process led to unexpected discoveries. Significant metabolic shifts were acknowledged to be a characteristic of many cancer types. Coupled with the emerging wave of drug repurposing these findings opened the door for metabolic cancer treatment and soon Sodium dichloroacetate became the most prominent example of this strategy. (Ref.) Table of Content Cancer metabolism How DCA treats cancer? What positive improvements to expect? How to use DCA for cancer? Cancer cells and DCA-resistance. How to overcome this problem? Cancer metabolism In 1923, a German biochemist, medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate, Otto Heinrich Warburg, made a ground-breaking discovery vital in understanding the energy metabolism of cancer cells. This identified phenomenon is now recognized as the hallmark of cancer and is called the Warburg effect. Otto Warburg observed the cells of a rat tumor and noticed that their growth is powered by extreme amounts of glucose (sugar) without the increased use of oxygen. This made no sense since using oxygen for producing energy from nutrients is a significantly more efficient way. Over a hundred years ago such findings raised more questions than answers. Now it’s known that the enormous glucose hunger and reduced intake of oxygen grant cancer cells a unique set of evolutionary advantages. (Ref.) One of the ways how cancer cells benefit from the Warburg effect is by shifting to rapid biomass production. The increased glucose uptake provides the cancerous tissue more building components for making new genetic material and protein, ultimately leading to increased cancer proliferation and growth. (Ref.) In addition, it is well known that normal mammal cells are constantly supplied with oxygen, otherwise they would die quickly. However, malignant cells act in a…