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LUNG cancer is one of the hardest to treat - but scientists may have found out how it shakes off the effects of powerful chemotherapy.

Recent figures show that only one in 20 lung cancer patients survives beyond five years. This is because cells launch a two-stage "survival plan" when confronted with anti-cancer drugs, say experts from Imperial College London.

The Imperial team, led by Professor Michael Seckl, is looking at small cell lung cancer, a particularly "hard-to-treat" form of the disease. All normal cells have a programmed "suicide" mechanism, which kicks in if the cell is getting too old, or is damaged in some way.

Cancer cells in general are different, because despite their age, they do not "commit suicide". Many anti-cancer drugs aim to trigger this programmed cell death function, and in many cancers, this is remarkably effective. Professor Seckl's team has been investigating how the cells manage to acquire this ability.

They found that exposure to the drug activates a cascade of chemical reactions within the cancer cell that allows it to protect itself. If releases a molecule called FGF-2 which shuts off the suicide mechanism. However, the research now means that a common trigger for both shutdown mechanisms has been found in future, drugs could be designed to target it.

Professor Seckl said: "Initially anti-cancer drugs can be effective, but the disease often returns in a form which is very resistant to further treatment. "It's a huge stumbling block in the effective treatment of lung cancer. "We knew this FGF-2 was found in much higher levels in the blood of people with cancer. The cancer cells use this molecule to protect themselves from chemotherapy and ensure their survival.

Professor Robert Souhami, from Cancer Research UK, which funded the trial, said: "The major obstacle to treating small cell lung cancer is the resistance the disease develops to chemotherapy."