Could the common cold cure cancer ?

Posted on Tuesday, 24 April, 2012 | Comment icon

16 comments | News tip by: DKO

Image credit: stockxpert

By Offeiriad, Staff News Writer
Australian scientists are exploring the idea that exposure to certain viruses can cure other illnesses.

The idea isn't a new one, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates is credited with saying "give me the power to create a fever and I shall cure any disease." There have been recorded cases over the last century in which cancer patients have gone in to spontaneous remission after contracting certain viruses, so again we see something not entirely outside the realm of possibility. A cold or the flu isn't the only virus that has "cured" cancer either, one boy in Uganda is believed to have recovered from Burkitt's lymphoma after being exposed to the measles.

How accurate are these claims ? Scientists at one biotechnology firm in Australia believe it's worth investigating. "Even though a lot of the cases seemed anecdotal, there was something in it," said Professor Darren Shafren. "This phenomenon has always been there but with the latest tools and technologies we have, we can match the right virus with the right cancer."

Australian scientists are leading a global charge to combat one of the world's worst killers with a surprising secret weapon - the common cold. It's a tempting idea and one on the cutting edge of a new medical research field called oncolytic virotherapy. Could the common cold cure cancer?

View: Full article |

Source: Brisbane Times

Discuss: View comments (16)

<< Previous story
Artefacts show the history of beer drinking

Next story >>
New expedition to seek out Mokele Mbembe

Recent comments on this story

#7 Posted by bulveye on 24 April, 2012, 21:35

Probably just coincidence. Some cancer patients go itto remission sometimes. Due to low immune system lots of them have various stages of a cold at any one time. You could probably also say tap water or some random snack bar can help cure cancer too. Anyway, deaths not that bigger deal anyway, just ask god.

#8 Posted by FurthurBB on 24 April, 2012, 23:02

People live longer and there has not been a 2000% increase from the 40s. Rare cancers are rare by convention. Lung cancer was the most common cancer at the turn of the 20th century and it is still the most common cancer. What early stages are you talking about? Cancer is basically reversible by your own immune system when it is just a couple of cells. Also, cancer is never benign.

#9 Posted by Simbi Laveau on 25 April, 2012, 0:14

Prostate cancer is more common than lung cancer,and there are many cures for cancer . People who are smart enough to not listen to the big pharm stock owning MDs ,all teaching medical school ,live lives lot longer than the people who go to the people who were lectured by those same big pharm stock owning MDs,who can't do,but "teach". *titters* The instance of cancer has increased exponentially over the last 70 years,but the lovely medical community LIES about it,and claims the numbers are going down,so the sheeple are all lulled into a false sense of adoration for their doctors,... [More]

#10 Posted by Karlis on 25 April, 2012, 4:45

Simbi Laveau, when one makes such a sweeping statement, one should quote source/s to support their opinion. Your above statement may be mistaken, going by the following: Question: What Is the Most Common Cancer in the U.S.? Answer: ... The most common cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, in the United States and worldwide, is lung cancer. It was estimated that in 2010 there would be 220,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the United States. This is followed by (217,730 cases), ... ... In men, is the most common form of cancer diagnosed, but roughly 3 times as many men... [More]

#11 Posted by Simbi Laveau on 25 April, 2012, 5:16

It depends upon who's data you look at,so putting proof,is redundant,as for every link I post saying it's prostate cancer,there will be a link saying it's lung cancer. As some say prostate is first,and some say lung,but the data I looked at,from few sources, prostate surpassed lung by 1000s,irregardless of sex,color or creed.As it all changes depending upon which demographic or sex,you choose to look at. Black cancer instances,are completely reversed from whites,depending upon where you look. I tend to not believe anything from a website that has .gov at the end of it. These s... [More]

#12 Posted by Karlis on 25 April, 2012, 5:37

That said -- the topic of the OP is "oncolytic virotherapy." -- "Could the common cold cure cancer?"

#13 Posted by Rlyeh on 25 April, 2012, 6:26

Ofcourse scammers should be jailed. I can understand why you're concerned.

#14 Posted by FurthurBB on 25 April, 2012, 13:23

Wow! I am always so surprised by how little you know about medical issues. I never said it was not increasing. It will keep increasing as long as people keep living longer until we find a dependable treatment or prevention, cure is not really the right word. I am sure that your disdain for anyone smarter or more educated than you will serve you well in your lifetime.

#15 Posted by catfishyeah on 30 April, 2012, 19:00

Over in my area, there have been about 60% of the hospital's patients that spontaneously contract cancer. There was this factory that coated wood in Creosote that got shut down. I believe that due to the fact that a little bit of the chemicals are seeping into the water, are the reason for the increase in cancer mutation in our cells. But what doesn't cause cancer these days?

#16 Posted by The Unseen on 2 May, 2012, 6:11

Yep thats all you need,One viris to kill another,like yeah thats going to work,next thing ya know we could not only catch a cold but a cold that also gives you cancer.Why do these Idiot scientist do crap that kills.I'd like to give them a taste of their own so called Medicin.One day these Idiots are going to kill us all.

View all 16 comments on this story

Please Login or Register to post a comment.

Forum topics in this category

Science & Technology

Honeybees trained to hunt mines in Croatia

How we "love" nature

Stone-age solution could help fight MRSA

Independent testing of Rossi's E-Cat Device

Scientists pinpoint what makes us itch

Electric lighting prevents proper sleep

Will we become immortal androids by 2045 ?

Does Practice Really Make Perfect?

Scientists find evidence for paralel universe

Do neutrinos contravene the laws of physics?

Personal DNA scanning

Space-time Jump

Russians drive over North Pole to Canada

Other recent forum topics

United States and the Americas

Abercrombie & Fitch targets skinny shoppers,

When 3 Gunmen Shoot 19 -it�s Not �Terrorism�

Teen Faces Prison for Posting Rap on Facebook

Conspiracies & Secret Societies

Bin Laden was not buried at sea,

WTC 911 EyeWitness~Hoboken

911 inside job - for what?

UK and Europe

''too attractive to work''

Soldier beheaded in London

Religion Of Peace?

View: Discussion forum

Other news in this category

World on track to run out of drinkable water

Posted 5-23-2013 | 42 comments
The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has warned that a world water shortage is on the horizon....

Honeybees trained to hunt mines in Croatia

Posted 5-22-2013 | 7 comments
Croatian researchers have been training honeybees to hunt down the location of unexploded landmines....

Stone-age solution could help fight MRSA

Posted 5-21-2013 | 8 comments
A plant first used over 30,000 years ago could prove vital in the fight against resistant infections....

Russians drive over North Pole to Canada

Posted 5-18-2013 | 23 comments
In a world first, an exploration team has proved that it's possible to drive from Russia to Canada....

World's oldest flowing water discovered

Posted 5-17-2013 | 34 comments
An isolated reservoir untouched for up to 2.64 billion years has been found at a mine in Ontario....

Scientists clone stem cells using skin cells

Posted 5-16-2013 | 8 comments
The ability to turn skin cells in to embryonic stem cells is being hailed as a major breakthrough....

UN urges people to eat insects

Posted 5-14-2013 | 149 comments
The United Nations has suggested that eating insects could help solve world food shortages....

Scientists develop 'superwheat'

Posted 5-13-2013 | 19 comments
A new type of wheat developed by British scientists has the potential to increase productivity by 30%....

Will we become immortal androids by 2045 ?

Posted 5-11-2013 | 34 comments
Russian Billionaire Dmitry Itskov has founded an initiative intent on finding a way to live forever....

Is a spider bite vaccine on the cards ?

Posted 5-10-2013 | 2 comments
The war against poisonous spider bites could one day lead to a jab that will make a person immune....

Will robots overtake humans by 2100 ?

Posted 5-9-2013 | 29 comments
Are we heading for a future in which artificially intelligent computers will exceed our capabilities ?...

Brain region that controls aging identified

Posted 5-8-2013 | 10 comments
A part of the brain responsible for aging could offer a new way to manipulate the aging process....

New bird flu strains created in lab

Posted 5-7-2013 | 58 comments
Scientists in China have come under fire for producing more than 100 new mutations of the deadly virus....

Man invents nutrient shake to replace food

Posted 5-6-2013 | 46 comments
Rob Rhinehart has developed a special type of shake in a bid to solve the world's food problems....

View: More news in this category