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The breakthrough treatment targets a chemical that cancer cells use to digest food. Experts believe the drug CB-839, when used in combination with another cancer treatment could offer hope

to people with advanced kidney cancer. The combination of drugs stopped tumour growth in 93 per cent - 14 out of 15 - patients with renal cancer who took part in a clinical trial at the

University of Texas. The research was presented by Dr Funda Meric-Bernstam, medical director of the Institute of Personalised Cancer Therapy at the University of Texas to the Symposium on

Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Germany. "This is the first time that a drug that inhibits renal cancer cells from metabolising has been used in clinical trials,” she said.

"We feel the results are very promising because a high proportion of patients experienced a halt in tumour growth, with one even experiencing tumour shrinkage. "For more than half

of these patients their time on this treatment has been longer than the time they remained on their prior treatment, which is considered to be a good sign." CB-839 targets a key enzyme

called glutaminase, which is used by the tumour to create food and grow larger. But researchers hope by targeting glutaminase, CB-839 starves the tumour of the nutrients it needs to

survive. TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT KIDNEYS The tumour shrank by more than 30 per cent in one patient, was stable in 13 other patients and grew by more than 20 per cent in the last patient. Patients

who took part in the clinical trial had advanced kidney cancer that had started to spread to other parts of the body. The patients had an average age of 60 and had already gone through an

average of two lines of treatment. Dr Meric-Bernstam said: "This group were representative of the demographic who suffer from advanced renal cancer." GETTY Kidney cancer treatment:

The treatment gives hope to thousands of patients They were given CB-839 in oral doses that ranged from 400-800 mg twice a day in combination with a dose of another anti-cancer drug known

as everolimus. Dr Meric-Bernstam said the drug had no severe side effects. She added: "The side effects we observed were very tolerable when we look at the spectrum of effects that

other anti-cancer drugs can have. "Patients experienced tolerable nausea and some change to liver function, but this was reversible." The drug still needed to pass through two more

trials before it could be approved for general use. Experts believe the treatment could be available to patients within ten years. Experts are also planning to test if CB-839 can be used to

treat other types of cancer, including kidney cancer, lung cancer and melanoma. Nick Turkentine from Kidney Cancer UK said: "We are delighted to see the advancements in drug therapies

relating to kidney cancer. GETTY Kidney cancer treatment: Experts have found a drug that can stop the growth of tumours "Once brought to market this combination treatment gives hope to

thousands of patients for whom other treatments have failed. "The research which is going on for kidney cancer, and for the treatment of cancers in general, is exciting and every day

brings us closer to halting the advance of this terrible disease." Kidney cancer is the eighth most common cancer in adults in the UK, with just over 10,100 people diagnosed each year.

Symptoms of the disease include blood in urine, a constant pain in the side and a lump or swelling in the kidney area. This comes after it was revealed blood in urine could be a symptom of

these dangerous cancers.