Israeli scientists have included Tα1 in the HIPEC (heated intra-peritoneal chemotherapy) method in the treatment of peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer. So far, the results of the study on mice give hope for a better prognosis.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer among people living in the West. 15% of patients develop peritoneal metastases, which have a worse prognosis than liver or lung metastases. Currently, patients are treated surgically – cytoreduction and the HIPEC method. This treatment protocol is more effective than systemic chemotherapy, with median overall survival rates of 42 and 16 months, respectively. On the other hand, it is a difficult treatment and even after it, only 15-20% of patients survive 5 years without disease.

Due to the level of complexity of the combined HIPEC treatment and the ongoing discussion in the medical community about the chances and risks of such treatment, many centers do not undertake it, but studies on an animal model are underway, also in combination with surgical treatment. Researchers from Tel-Aviv decided to add thymosin therapy to the treatment because chemotherapy can reduce the proliferation of cells of the immune system, although in some cases it can increase it.

Studies have observed increased infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ cells into tumor metastases by HIPEC, possibly by inducing the expression of an immunogenic cell death protein that leads to cell death. In addition, it was also noted that in this case Ta1 increased the Th cell response and CD8+ infiltration into metastases.

Thanks to the fact that the results of the research are encouraging, they will probably be continued to determine further elements of therapy, such as the dose of thymosins and whether the longer-developing cancer and its metastases will respond to treatment in the same way.

Full article can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2023.109829