© University of Michigan Health System
研究を行ったMichael Sabel医師
癌を急速に凍らせる治療法が乳癌に有効であることが，マウスを使った実験で明らかになった。この実験では凍結用プローブを乳癌に当てて30秒で急速に凍らせる，数分間かけて凍らせる，さらに手術による摘出，という3つの方法を比較した。その結果，急速に凍らせたマウスは他のマウスと比べて生存率が高く，肺への転移が少なかった。免疫系が急速な凍結で刺激されると，まるで乳癌ワクチンを接種したかのように体中の癌細胞を死滅させることができるようになり，腫瘍があった部位での再発と遠隔転移の両方が予防できると考えられるという。（吉田素子）
Freezing a cancer(1) kills it in its place, and also appears to generate(2) an immune response(3) that helps stop the cancer’s spread, leading to(4) improved survival rates(5) over surgery(6), according to(7) a new study in mice(8) from researchers(9) at the University of Michigan Comprehensive(10) Cancer Center.
Researchers looked at two different cryoablation(11) techniques, which both involve(12) applying(13) a cold probe(14) to a tumor(15) to freeze it. The study was done in mice with breast cancer(16). One method involves freezing the tumor rapidly, in about 30 seconds; the other freezes the tumor slowly, taking a few minutes. Results from the cryoablation were compared to results from mice whose tumors were removed with surgery.
Both cryoablation techniques successfully(17) killed the breast tumor. The mice treated with the rapid freeze had fewer tumors that spread to the lungs(18) and improved survival(19) compared to mice treated with surgery alone or mice treated with the slower freezing technique. The study showed that the benefit from the rapid freezing is likely due to(20) changes in the immune system(21) that help to kill the tumor. Freezing with the slower technique appeared to make the immune system not as able to kill the tumor.
The study appears online in Annals(22) of Surgical Oncology(23). Based on(24) these results from mice, researchers are now conducting a clinical trial(25) using cryoablation in patients with breast cancer. In this trial, researchers use the rapid freezing technique.
“Cryoablation has strong potential as(26) a treatment for breast cancer.
(1) 癌 (2) ～を起こす (3) 免疫応答 (4) ～につながる (5) 生存率 (6) 手術
(7) ～によると (8) マウス (9) 研究者 (10) 総合的な (11) 凍結融解壊死治療 (12) ～を行う
(13) （～A to B）AをBに当てること (14) プローブ，針 (15) 腫瘍 (16) 乳癌 (17) うまく
(18) 肺 (19) 生存率を改善した (20) ～のためである (21) 免疫系
(22) 紀要（研究機関が定期的に出す論文集） (23) 外科腫瘍学（Annals of Surgical Oncologyは雑誌名）
(24) ～に基づき (25) 臨床試験 (26) ～として有望である
