A team of researchers has discovered that a hormone made by a small gland in the brain may treat blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.

According to researchers, melatonin, a hormone made by a small gland in the brain, may treat blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.The findings suggested that melatonin boosts the immune response against cancer cells, inhibits cancer cell growth and protects healthy cells from the toxic effects of chemotherapy.Melatonin is also involved in regulating circadian rhythms, which may help coordinate and synchronise internal body functions, timing of melatonin treatments may be critical to their anti-cancer effects.

Senior author Yang Yang stated that they hope this information will be helpful in the design of studies related to the therapeutic efficacy of melatonin in blood cancers.Melatonin's anti-cancer actions will help facilitate future basic research and clinical applications, the researchers noted.The study appears in British Journal of Pharmacology