(ANSA) – ROME – A group of researchers from the Irccs San Raffaele Hospital described for the first time an innovative peri-operative (before and during surgery) immunotherapeutic approach with alpha interferon, capable of preventing liver metastases from colorectal cancer. The preclinical study was coordinated by Giovanni Sitia, head of the Research Unit of Experimental Hepatology in collaboration with Luca Guidotti, scientific vice-director and Ordinary of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.
The results were published on eLIFE, and the research was made possible thanks also to the contribution of Airc. The researchers administered low-dose interferon alpha to mouse models just before and during surgery for colorectal cancer removal. Following administration with this innovative modality, the researchers observed that the drug was able to stimulate the endothelial cells of the liver to build a vascular barrier, capable of limiting the entry of tumor cells into the organ and, thus preventing the formation of metastases. The anti-tumor properties of alpha interferon are recognized in the medical field. However, systemic administration at relatively high doses has shown limited efficacy, mainly due to severe side effects throughout the body. In the new strategy at San Raffaele, on the one hand, the drug is used in low doses, on the other hand it is administered in the peri-operative phase, a critical moment in the metastatic dissemination of cancer cells. “In this way – specifies Giovanni Sitia – the interferon, released continuously, before and after surgery, is able to stimulate the endothelial cells of the liver and orchestrate its multiple anti-tumor functions, avoiding the toxic effects of high dose administration “.
“The results – he concludes – provide, at the preclinical level, encouraging evidence of the efficacy and safety of the strategy. It is necessary to evaluate with further studies which patients with primary colorectal cancers could best benefit from this peri-operative therapy and prepare for the clinical trial that could start in a few years “. (HANDLE).
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