Many patients whose cancer returns after some time may derive benefits from new drugs. Scientists have raised hopes by having a bit of understanding about comeback of disease.

Many patients suffering from skin, bladder, lung, stomach and ovarian cancer hope to overcome the disease after receiving chemotherapy known as platinum treatment. Their cancer reappears after they get resistant to drugs.

Sometimes, patients are given others drugs known as second-line therapies but they don’t perform very well.

Scientists at charity Ovarian Cancer have come up with reasons why people develop resistance to platinum therapy.

Scientists have identified some molecular targets which are the basis of new drugs , stated Prof Hani Gabra, director of charity’s research centre.

He said: “These cancers look like they are platinum-resistant, but in fact they were there from the outset and they were never touched by the drugs.”

One among the targets is STAT 1 which is found to be very active in cancer cells that are resistant to platinum therapy.

According to Prof Gabra, some of these targets have already been considered and drugs are in developmental phase.

He said: “All we’ve got to do is put these drugs together with platinum treatment in a trial in people. We are hoping to do proof of concept trials this year or next year.”