A team of American scientists has announced the discovery of a “kill switch” that triggers the death of cancer cells in humans.

The discovery is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer.

The “kill switch” was found by scientists at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, California.

The researchers identified a protein on the CD95 receptor that can “program” cancer cells to die.

The findings have been detailed in a study published in the peer-reviewed Nature journal Cell Death & Differentiation.