The use of reverse transcriptase inhibitor to treat Virally induced cancers
Some cancers are caused and transmitted by RNA viruses. RNA viruses rely on reverse transcriptase to infect cells and use this to code DNA from their RNA to replicate and thus infect other cells.
AZT will block reverse transcriptase and thus will prevent new cells from being infected and will thus kill the cancer if it is virally induced.
I understand the human pilli-pox virus - a sexually transmitted cancer is an RNA virus and will thus be susceptable.
It is difficult to find virus particles so it is possible that other human cancers are virally induced and if RNA viruses then they will be susceptable to AZT.
AZT is at present used to treat Aids but it could be experimentally tried on cancer patients.
Reverse transcriptase is not naturally present in human body cells so the use of its inhibitor is unlikely to cause side effects.
Disclaimer:
Although I have worked in a cancer hospital (and I know how inneffective conventional treatment is), I am not a cancer specialist or a doctor and I have no medical training of any sort.
I do have degrees with the subjects of study of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Geology.
Chris.
28/5/2003