Effectiveness of Venom Toxins Versus Conventional the 

Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Cancer 

 
Barriers in the Fight Against Cancer
Cancer, in the past few years, has become a frighteningly prevalent disease. Though the
danger of cancer is very well known among many different people in many different places, not
everyone might understand what it is and why it is so difficult to treat with current
chemotherapy. Cancer is caused by the rapid and uncontrollable proliferation of mutated cells in
the body. This could happen in a variety of places, such as in the brain, lungs, or skin. What
causes the cells to mutate is not always clear, but once it begins multiplying, it will spread
throughout the rest of the body. This is often where the major problems start. There are several
issues while treating this disease that are hard to address with conventional chemotherapy.
One of them is the inability of current cancer treatments to target specific types of
cancer. According to ​The Difficulties of Cancer Treatment​ by ​Sajib Chakraborty and Taibur
Rahman, current treatment is based on the conclusion that all cancerous stem cells have a similar
malignant potential, which is the likelihood of a disease (like cancer) to get worse over time.
This lack of specificity made trying to treat a disease with so many types and qualities difficult,
and failed to give any kind of lasting protection against cancer. On the other end of the spectrum,
chemotherapy that was more “target specific” was able to cause the regression of tumors but
grew back to its original size after the discontinuation of the medication because the medicine
could not fully eliminate the cancer stem cells.
Another important issue is the certain qualities that cancer stem cells possess that
allow them to survive the effects of chemotherapy. They produce a protein that allows them to
clean out toxic substances. This protein has been identified in some types of cancer, most notably
breast. Other important issues with chemotherapy include the lack of ability to target cancer cells
and effectively deal with metastasis. Fortunately there has been research into using the toxins of
venomous animals to treat and diagnose a variety of diseases and conditions, including cancer.
There are already many toxins that have been discovered that might serve as a possible
alternative to conventional chemotherapy.
Possible Solutions in the Form of Venom Toxins
Venom toxins are proteins and peptides that exist inside venoms that allow the venom to
do its work. Depending on the type of animal or insect that may produce them, they may have
different effects that suit their environment. For example, a snake that must catch quick and
strong prey must have fast-acting neurotoxic venom (which attacks nerve cells) to paralyze and
disable prey quickly to prevent escape. In the past, venom was only seen as something to fear
and a motivation to create antivenom. But there are toxins inside these venoms that have the
potential to heal. There are few venom-based medications on the market now that can treat some
conditions, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic pain. But there are other toxins that
 are not completely understood that could treat more serious and well-known diseases, like
cancer. Certain toxins, like those of the honeybee and the ndian cobra have shown enormous
potential to effectively kill cancer cells, primarily through the induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis
is the programmed death of cells. Not many chemotherapy drugs kill cancer in this way, so
looking into this family of venom toxins could change the medical field for the better and put a
new perspective on how treatment of cancer should be carried out. Another application of these
toxins in this area is as a biomarker. Soricidin, a toxin found in the venom of the northern
short-tailed shrew, in addition to being able to stop the multiplication of cancer cells (which is
another issue with current chemotherapy) it can also serve as a biomarker to help better identify
cancer cells, which can sometimes be difficult to diagnose with so many different types of
cancer.
Conclusion
As mentioned before, conventional chemotherapy has its limits, risks and issues. It is in
need of improvement. But there are many possible solutions in the form of the huge variety of
the venom toxins found in different animals. However, venom-based medications have their
limits as well. Not all of these drugs can be made completely risk free, and some of them require
clinical trials to ensure that they are effective and relatively safe for human use. But we have
reason to be optimistic because of the millions of different toxins in the world that have not yet
been discovered and/or analyzed to determine their usefulness. Some of them have already been
helping people, so it is important that both the public and pharmaceutical companies recognize
the value of these proteins and the animals that produce them. By doing so, we can conserve
these animals and their habitats to ensure both their safety and the continuation of the study of
modern medicine.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/13/antibiotic-resistance-could-spell-end-of-moder
n-medicine-says-chief-medic
Chakraborty, S., & Rahman, T. (2012). The difficulties in cancer treatment.
Ecancermedicalscience, 6, ed16. doi:10.3332/ecancer.2012.ed16

Vyas, V. K., Brahmbhatt, K., Bhatt, H., & Parmar, U. (2013). Therapeutic potential of snake
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