A team of researchers has discovered that a blood transfusion “young”, blood that has been stored within nine days, raising hopes of survival in animals suffering from two types of cancer. This could solve the ancient mystery of why some blood applied during surgery related to cancer appear to lead to increased repair of the disease, whereas others do not seem to cause transfusion this undesirable change.
Using an animal model, researchers did some tests with rats with leukemia and breast cancer. Found that the chances of surviving cancer could be seen reduced only if the transfusion, the blood had been stored for nine or more days.
Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu of the University of Tel Aviv was felt that this study would not change the practices of surgeons in hospitals, but definitely if it was something that needed to be investigated more thoroughly in clinical studies with humans. He also objected that this discovery could have a profound impact on survival with prostate cancer and colon cancer associated with two major blood loss. If this discovery during the investigation also shows the trials with humans, this revolutionary
the current perspective on transfusions in cancer patients. (more…)
