DFHCC » cancer

Radiofrequency Treatments Could be a New Way to Fight Cancer

William — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:27:51 +0000

Doctors and researchers are always looking for new ways to treat cancer. One of those new ways is with radiofrequency ablation. This is a treatment that’s considered to be minimally invasive, and it holds a lot of promise for people who are dealing with cancer.

It has been used at places like the Mayo Clinic and has worked on hundreds of patients with tumors of the liver or kidneys. It has also been used with success on patients who have bone cancer. The cancer cells are heated up and destroyed, and the laser-guided system targets them so well that it doesn’t destroy the healthy tissue around the tumor.

When surgery has failed or will not work based on the location of the tumor, or when there are other conditions that make surgery medically unsafe, radiofrequency treatments can be a great choice to prolong both the length and the quality of life. There is generally very little pain with this treatment and there is also minimal risk to the patient. The hospital stay is not long, there is no incision, and the treatment is very effective for smaller cancers.

Nitrosylcobalamin Thought to Root Out Cancer Cells and Kill Them

William — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:25:17 +0000

Now there is something else that can be used in the fight against cancer – nitrosylcobalamin. This is a new compound that acts somewhat like a Trojan horse to target the cancer cells without them expecting it. It also doesn’t cause toxicity in the body and it doesn’t harm the surrounding tissue, which makes it a great choice for people who are in need of cancer treatments and are very concerned about how the chemicals that are needed for treatment might affect their body overall.

The treatment was used in dogs, and they saw an almost eighty percent reduction in tumors. Out of the three original dogs, one of them is also completely free of cancer and has been that way – and off of treatment – for two years. If it continues to do well, the researchers will put it to the FDA for a human trial request.

Whether or not it will work in humans is something that remains to be seen, but it is one of the most promising new treatments that is in the works today.

Nano Particles May Aid in Targeting Cancer Cells

William — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:24:51 +0000

Cancer is a serious issue, and many people are afraid of it. A lot of them know people who have succumbed to the disease or at least have been touched by it, so they are crusaders for the disease, as well.

Now there is a new weapon in the arsenal against cancer, and that is the use of nano particles. These are designed to target much smaller areas than standard therapies like chemo or radiation, and that means that they can be used with better success and fewer problems for surrounding tissue.

Right now, the chemotherapy chemicals and the radiation that are used are both very dangerous for the tumor and for the tissue that is still healthy and that surrounds the tumor. To protect the surrounding tissue, the nano particles can be used because they only work on the tumor and they aren’t large enough to bother any of the tissue that is around it.

They may not be a cure, but they will go a long way toward ensuring that the treatments that are designed to kill off the cancer cells won’t kill healthy tissue in the patient’s body as well.