Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Local researchers have been studying better ways to treat the disease. They’ve published a study with their latest findings.

Tanya Kalin, who serves as the vice chair of translational research for the Phoenix Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, authored the study.

According to Kalin, cancer research typically focuses on depleting tumors of blood vessels in order to prevent tumor growth and metastasis. However, doing this can make tumor cells more aggressive and likely to spread.

As an alternative, Kalin and others would “normalize and repair” tumor vessels by increasing a specific protein.

Inserting this protein helps destroy the cells that cause cancer from the inside with “minimal chemotherapy.”

The CDC says lung cancer is the third-most common cancer in the United States.