Cancer patients may not have to suffer the side-effects of chemotherapy thanks to a breakthrough in the understanding of cells.

In the next 20 years, researchers hope to develop a new generation of anti-cancer drugs.

The billions of cells in the human body each have a 'suicide button'

A fresh discovery related to a self-destruct programme built into all cells makes this a realistic possibility.

Tumours are caused when this so-called suicide instinct, known as apoptosis, goes awry.

Scientists at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund found that the mechanism which causes a cancerous cell to self-destruct goes through the exterior of the cell.

They now believe it will be possible to manufacture drugs to target this mechanism. The outside of the cell is far easier to reach than the inside, which is protected by an impermeable membrane.

Professor Gerard Evan: The results were unexpected

The research team leader, Professor Gerard Evan, said: "The results of our research have been totally unexpected.

"There was no reason to believe that the 'abort' programme that destroys tumour cells should operate via the cell surface and use essentially the same mechanism that is used to destroy cells infected by viruses."

The research has been published in the American journal Science.

Andrew Wyllie, Professor of Experimental Pathology at Edinburgh University, said the discovery could make life easier for cancer sufferers and even increase the number of patients who beat the condition.

"Although radiotherapy and chemotherapy have made a difference in helping to treat patients with cancer, survival rates for many common tumours still remain relatively low," he said.

"This new discovery will mean that drug companies can start to research a new generation of cancer drugs that may well increase survival rates."

The key to the process is the interaction between two molecules, known as CD95 and CD95L, on the cell surface.

CD95L fits CD95 exactly, providing the connection for the self-destruct impulse to pass.

When a person is healthy, the cell's suicide signal does not pass.

But cancer-causing genes found in tumours interfere with this process so that the cell kills itself.

Scientists think "smart" drugs in the future may be able to replace the function when the anti-cancer self-destruct system fails.

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