Some cancer treatments actually help it spread

It's not really good news what it's reported that traditional cancer treatments may actually help certain types of cancer spread.

But, this is exactly what U.S. researchers are saying this week. Surgery, chemotherapy or radiation may sometimes cause tumors to spread according to new research that is sure to draw fire from many sides.

The cause? How about a compound called TGF-beta, which was found to have raised levels in mice undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The TGF-beta compound then proceeded to help breast cancer tumors spread to the lung. The good news is that there were antibodies used that could block TGF-beta in its tracks.