The research and development progress and safe use of anti-tumor drugs have always been one of the most concerned issues for the public in tumor prevention and treatment. Are these rumors about anti-tumor drugs true? The reporter interviewed relevant experts. Rumor 1: A million yuan anti-cancer needle can clear cancer cells and cure cancer. Cancer experts respond that "clearing cancer cells" does not mean "clinical cure". T cells are immune cells and the main force of the immune system attacking cancer cells. The principle of CAR-T therapy is to remove T cells from the patient's body and load them with tumor chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) outside the body, thereby enhancing T cells' cancer recognition ability and killing power, and achieving the goal of killing cancer cells. Previously, the National Medical Products Administration approved the launch of China's first CAR-T cell therapy product, and there were rumors that this product, priced at 1.2 million yuan per injection, is a "miracle drug" for clearing cancer cells and curing cancer. "Not all tumors are eligible for CAR-T therapy." Wang Ying, Director of the Immune Cell Therapy Center at the Hematology Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences), said that the statement that a CAR-T cell therapy product priced at 1.2 million yuan per injection can clear cancer cells and cure cancer is not accurate. Currently, CAR-T therapy related products are mainly used to treat hematological malignancies that are prone to recurrence and difficult to treat, such as multiple myeloma, lymphoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia, etc. According to some follow-up data, some patients with malignant hematological tumors can achieve clinical cure through CAR-T therapy. But "clinical cure" and "cancer cell clearance" cannot be equated. Firstly, the so-called "cancer cell zeroing" only fails to detect cancer cells at the sensitivity level that existing detection methods can achieve, and does not mean that there are no cancer cells in the body. Secondly, the so-called "cancer cell clearance" expresses that the patient's disease has been relieved, but the relief effect lasts for more than 5 years without recurrence, in order to consider that the patient has achieved "clinical cure". Compared to traditional chemotherapy, although patients receiving CAR-T therapy have a higher response rate, there are still some patients who may experience recurrence. Therefore, not every patient who receives remission through CAR-T treatment can achieve clinical cure. A small number of patients have not achieved remission after using CAR-T therapy Wang Ying said. When it comes to the future of CAR-T therapy, Wang Ying believes that in addition to hematological tumors, there is currently research promoting the application of CAR-T therapy to solid tumors and autoimmune diseases, such as refractory systemic lupus erythematosus. Rumor 2: Cancer pain cannot be treated with painkillers. Expert response: Standardized and reasonable medication can be used. According to the 2020 Chinese White Paper on the Quality of Life for Cancer Patients, 57.4% of cancer patients will experience varying degrees of pain, seriously affecting their quality of life. Painkillers are an important weapon in dealing with cancerous pain. However, there are rumors that cancer patients cannot use painkillers due to reasons such as addiction caused by the use of opioid painkillers, and premature use of painkillers leading to increased pain and ineffective painkillers. "Opioids are common analgesics with the potential for addiction, but the likelihood is very low." Li Zhigang, the attending physician of the Pain Department at Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital affiliated with Tsinghua University in Beijing, told reporters that foreign data shows that out of 10000 patients who use opioid drugs, only one may become addicted. The management of opioid drugs in China is stricter than in foreign countries, and their addiction is lower, almost negligible. Fan Bifa, president of Pain Doctor Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association and director of Pain Department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, also believed that rational and standardized use of opioids would rarely lead to so-called addiction and other problems. So, will premature use of painkillers lead to ineffective painkillers in the later stages of cancer? "This involves the issue of drug resistance. Many drugs may develop resistance after long-term use, such as antihypertensive drugs, diuretics, etc. This is not the 'patent' of painkillers." Li Zhigang said, "The clinical benefits of using painkillers in a standardized and reasonable manner in the early stages of illness far outweigh the risk of drug resistance." Li Zhigang emphasized that the view that cancer pain patients cannot use painkillers is incorrect. Pain doctors will provide patients with comprehensive, dynamic, and personalized medication plans based on scientific evaluation, helping cancer pain patients regulate and use medication reasonably. In clinical practice, 80% -90% of patients can effectively alleviate cancerous pain and improve their quality of life through reasonable and standardized analgesic treatment. Rumor 3: Boron drugs can cure liver cancer. Expert response: There is no sufficient evidence to support the treatment effect. There are rumors that boron drugs can cure common tumors such as lung cancer and liver cancer. The so-called boron drug refers to a boron containing drug injected into patients before treatment with boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). This drug has a strong affinity for cancer cells and quickly aggregates within them, with little distribution in other tissues. Subsequently, neutron irradiation is applied to the lesion. When the irradiated neutrons are captured by boron within the cancer cells, they can release highly lethal radiation through nuclear fission. Compared to traditional radiotherapy, BNCT is more accurate, with less damage to healthy tissues around cancer cells, and can also achieve good therapeutic effects for some tumors that are not sensitive to traditional radiotherapy. Small scale clinical studies conducted by Chinese scholars have shown that, BNCT is an effective treatment method for central nervous system tumors, head and neck tumors, skin and mucosal malignant melanoma, and other tumors. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to support the therapeutic effect of this therapy on lung cancer and liver cancer. It is worth noting that China's first independently developed boron neutron capture therapy clinical medical equipment project was launched in Dongguan People's Hospital in 2022 and is expected to enter clinical trials in the second half of this year. According to public reports, relevant studies are using BNCT to try to treat liver cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and other tumors, but no specific clinical data has been disclosed. "When spreading medical progress, it is necessary to express it scientifically, comprehensively, and objectively, otherwise it is easy to breed rumors," said Wang Ying. (Lai Xin She)