DRINKING a foam infused with poisonous carbon monoxide could help improve cancer treatment, a study suggests.
The gas — which is found in cigarettes — actually improved outcomes for mice with the disease, US researchers found.
Researchers created a new form of foam called gas-entrapping materials (GEM) that could safely contain carbon monoxide to see how it affected cancer treatment
Those given the foam alongside an experimental cancer treatment called autophagy inhibition saw better responses to the therapy, they said.
Dr James Byrne, of the University of Iowa, said: “Safe, therapeutic levels of carbon monoxide can increase the anti-cancer activity of autophagy inhibitors.
“It opens a promising new approach that might improve therapies for many different cancers.”
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that can make you severely ill if you breath it in.
It can be made by fires and appliances that burn gas, wood, oil or coal, as well cigarettes.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, feeling sick or being sick and feeling weak.
Smokers have higher levels of carbon monoxide in the blood, which stops blood carrying as much oxygen around the body.
Autophagy inhibition is a new type of cancer treatment that works by stopping a type of cell death called autophagy.
Previous research showed cancer patients that smoked responded better to the treatment in trials.
Dr Byrne said: “When we looked at how the smokers did in those trials, we saw an increase in overall response in smokers that received the autophagy inhibitors, compared to non-smoker patients.
“We also saw a pretty robust decrease in the target lesion size.”
Puzzled researchers found higher carbon monoxide levels in smokers could be behind their supercharged response.
The team sought to “harness the benefits” of higher carbon monoxide levels without including the health risks of cigarettes.
They created a new form of foam called gas-entrapping materials (GEM) that could safely contain carbon monoxide to see how it affected their response to treatment.
The latest study, published in Advanced Science, looked at whether the foam helped improve outcome for mice given autophagy inhibition treatment.
They found the foam helped “significantly inhibit the growth of tumours when used in combination” with the autophagy inhibition.
Dr Byrne said: “These data support the notion that safe, therapeutic levels of CO can markedly enhance the efficacy of autophagy inhibitors.
“It opens a promising new frontier in the quest to improve cancer therapies.”