Coxsackie Cold Virus May Wipe Out Breast Cancer

Most breast cancer chemotherapy patients would willingly swap the standard side effects of hair loss, nausea and vomiting for sniffles. Australian researcher Kathryn Skelding, at University of Newcastle, is working on a treatment for breast cancer that uses the Coxsackie Virus, otherwise known as the common cold. "In theory, the virus is able to selectively target and destroy many different types of cancer cells, including breast cancers, whilst leaving normal cells unaffected," she said. If only breast cancer cells are targeted, the powerful effects of standard chemotherapy (which affects every cell in your body) and radiation may be avoided almost entirely. The research, which is still in progress, is funded by the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia.

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