A team of doctors have made use of genetically engineered herpes virus, in order to treat cancer of mouth, head and neck.

The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust carried out a trial on 17 patients, who had been jabbed with the virus, as well as underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Onco VEX, which is the cold sore virus, was tailored in such a way to multiply inside cancer cells, however not in the cells that are healthy.

After this, it would burst and finish the tumor cells and also release a human protein, further helping in stimulating the immune system of the patients.

Shrink in the size of tumors could be seen in 14 patients and more than three quarters of the volunteers did not exhibit any sign of residual cancer in lymph nodes while undergoing a surgery to get them removed.

Even after two years, more than three quarters of the patients, who took part in the reading did not yield to the disease.

Principle Investigator for the ICR and the Royal Marsden, Dr. Kevin Harrington said that almost 35 to 55% of the volunteer patients, who went through standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy, in general wane in two years time, so the results compared were on favorable basis.