Using gold nanoparticles to hit cancer where it hurts
( Georgia Institute of Technology ) Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have shown that by directing gold nanoparticles into the nuclei of cancer cells, they can not only prevent them from multiplying, but can kill them where they lurk.
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One in five people with lung cancer have small cell lung cancer and only three per cent of these people are expected to survive for five years. With this form of lung cancer, tumours spread quickly so it is rarely possible to remove the tumours surgically. Because of this, small cell lung cancer is treated with chemotherapy, with or without additional radiotherapy. Initially, the treatment often appears to work, reducing the size of the tumours. However, the tumours usually grow back rapidly and then become resistant to further treatment.
The researchers behind today’s study have identified a drug that, in some mice, was able to completely shrink tumours away. In the mouse models, it was also able to stop tumours from growing and it helped other forms of chemotherapy to work more effectively. If the drug proves successful in humans, the researchers hope that it could help patients with this kind of lung cancer to live longer.
» Read more: Drug Shrinks Lung Cancer Tumors In Mice
Every year in the U.S, over 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and around 15,000 women die of the disease. Those are staggering statistics and yet the numbers seem to be rising from year to year, sadly, because women are not properly educated on how to diagnose ovarian cancer warning signs.
The rest of this article is taken from a post I wrote recently for my blog. I received positive feedback on the content because the facts are taken primarily from Mayo Clinic and a study done by the American Cancer Society – both of which are very credible sources of information. So I decided I wanted to share it with the EzineArticles readers.
» Read more: When Ovarian Cancer Warning Signs Mimic Common Medical Conditions