Scientists at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center think they have identified a potentially useful protein in fighting cancer. Essentially, what it does is prevent cancer cells from growing blood vessels to feed themselves. Though they don't have a therapy just yet, it looks quite promising. Cancers need to feed themselves just like any tissue, and they frequently grow blood vessels to do it. In theory then, if you could stop the formation of new blood vessels, you could stop the growth of many forms of cancer.
The coming decades. It's breathtaking to contemplate. I still envy my son for being born when he was, there's so much neat stuff he's going to get to watch happen as he matures.
But he probably won't appreciate it much. That's the way of the world, isn't it?
This is kind of gross, and, relative to your story - insignificant for sure; but I watch this blood-thing happen with my dog.
He's a BIG lab, and he's 13. He develops lumps just under his skin (I can't remember the exact technical name for these things) - and some become cancerous. When that happens, they grow at an alarming rate and look like huge warts. And then they burst blood. At that point, it is nearly impossible to keep them clean and dry until I can get them surgically removed.
Yuck.
I remember reading about this some years back. The basic idea is that cancer growths grow their own blood supplies, and these systems are detectably different from blood supplies to normal areas. Dry up the supply, and the tumor just withers away.
I like that idea. Especially once you realize that it just might be the "cancer cure" that we've been hoping for.
There are too many redundant pathways. It's going to take more than one inhibited pathway to stop tumors from inducing formation of capillary networks.