Plasma treatments help fight cancer

Cancer is a serious disease that affects many people. It is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Doctors use many different treatments to help patients with cancer, including therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), and fresh frozen plasma (FFP). Scientists are always looking for new ways to treat cancer and help patients, in hopes of slowing, removing, and curing this often fatal disease, including through the use of plasma.

Doctors have many tools to fight cancer. Some common treatments include:

• Surgery to remove tumors.
• Chemotherapy medication that kills cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy to destroy cancer.
• Hormone therapy.

What are plasma treatments?

Doctors have also been working with plasma treatments for more than 50 years. Treatments are now common and relatively safe for many health problems, such as primary immunodeficiency (PI) and hemophilia. More recently, doctors and researchers have been exploring the use of plasma to treat cancer, focusing on three main types of plasma treatments: therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), and fresh frozen plasma (FFP). 

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE)

TPE involves removing some of a patient's blood. The plasma is separated out from the rest of the blood components, and then the remaining blood cells are put back along with healthy plasma from a plasma donor. In people with cancers such as lymphoma a type of blood cancer, thymoma a cancer of a small organ in the chest, and multiple myeloma a cancer that affects plasma cells in the bone marrow, harmful antibodies build up in their plasma. These antibodies that attack healthy parts of the body are called autoantibodies. Studies show a positive impact by replacing it. One example of this is in the case of thymoma cancer causing a person’s immune system to destroy acetylcholine receptors. These receptors are proteins that bind nerves and muscles. In the absence of these receptors, individuals experience muscle weakness and fatigue. TPE can reduce these symptoms by filtering out the autoantibodies damaging these receptors.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP)

CAP is a newer treatment that scientists are testing through U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved clinical trials. CAP is an ionized gas created through Several different gases such as Helium, Argon, and Nitrogen and applied at less than 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Research is showing that CAP can identify and destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells. Specifically, post-surgery, it can remove very small cancer tumors that the surgeon might miss. Unlike some other forms of treatment, it is significant that CAP doesn't cause damage to other parts of the body. It also works on many types of cancer including skin, breast, and lung cancers. The effects of CAP seem to be uniform thus far and not restricted to a particular tumor type, making it potentially effective in many other types of cancer. CAP when administered to a patient contains toxic molecules called reactive oxygen species, and these molecules target cancerous tissue cells. By altering the features of these cells they become damaged and no longer able to grow and multiply. 

Fresh frozen plasma (FFP)

FFP is another type of plasma treatment that supports cancer patients. FFP is created by separating out the plasma portion from whole blood donation and freezing it until the time of use. Once the plasma is thawed it is able to be transfused to patients for a variety of purposes. The main purpose of FFP in cancer treatment is to aid in replenishing important substances the patient’s body needs that are impacted negatively not only by the disease itself but also by other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery. A major component is replacing a person's clotting factors. Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can lower blood cell counts and directly affect the body's ability to make clotting factors. Some people may even develop a condition called disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), where the body uses up or damages its supply of clotting factors. The symptoms of this condition are both potential for dangerous clots as well as uncontrolled bleeding. 

How these treatments give hope

More needs to be learned but research is showing that these plasma treatments have the potential to give doctors more ways to fight different types of cancer. These new ways often have fewer side effects than other treatments. They are also able to be used in conjunction working together with other traditional cancer treatments to help patients.

While cancer is still a tough disease to fight, plasma treatments are an additional tool for doctors to help patients live longer and healthier lives. Scientists continue to study these treatments and find new ways to make them better at fighting cancer. With all these different treatments working together, people fighting cancer can have more hope of becoming survivors of cancer.