Administering breast milk could be an effective way of treating cancer, laboratory scientists have observed.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Lund University found that when the substance was mixed with a baby's stomach acid and given to patients with the disease their tumours shrank.
Nicknamed Hamlet - Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumour cells - the discovery is deemed particularly useful as it specifically targets affected areas, leaving normal parts healthy.
Assistant professor Roger Karlsson told the Daily Telegraph that a pilot test saw participants receive the Hamlet medication through a catheter.
He said: "The solution killed cancer cells and the size of the tumours actually reduced within five days."
"It could also work if doctors were able to inject the solution into the vein," the expert explained, adding that it could prove a good complement to existing chemotherapy treatments.
A recent study in Norway argued against the prevailing opinion that breast milk is better for babies than formula varieties, with lab scientists claiming there is little difference between the two.
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