Light therapy now treats even the deepest cancer

Opmmur

Time Travel Professor
Messages
5,049
Light therapy now treats even the deepest cancer

‎Wednesday‎, ‎March‎ ‎18‎, ‎2015

Light therapy
is a safe, easy way to kill cancer and treat other diseases, but it's normally limited by its nature to illnesses that are skin-deep. Washington University researchers aren't daunted, however. They've developed a phototherapy method that brings light directly to tumor cells, no matter how deep they are. The technique has you ingesting sugar combined with radioactive fluorine and light-sensitive, cancer-fighting nanoparticles. When you go through a PET scan, the sugar lights up and promptly kicks the nanoparticles into high gear. Effectively, this is a Trojan horse -- since tumors eagerly absorb sugar, they're sowing the seeds of their own demise.

Before you ask: the procedure should be safe. The researchers note that the light and material are only targeted at tumors, so you shouldn't get sick because of some stray nanoparticles floating around your body. There are far fewer drugs involved than in chemotherapy, too. And you may not have to wait long to find out how well this in-body light therapy works in practice -- Washington University is already planning a small-scale trial for its approach. If it proves successful and leads to official approval, you may have a shot at recovering from particularly sinister forms of cancer without facing terrible side effects.

The Link: Washington University in St. Louis
 

Num7

Administrator
Staff
Messages
12,376
That's a great find. I'm glad they're still discovering new unexpected ways to treat diseases such as cancer in ways that are more comfortable and human for the person being treated.
 

Einstein

Temporal Engineer
Messages
5,363
Just like all the other effective cancer cures out there, the FDA will block, stall, drag their feet, and anything else necessary to stop approval.
 

TimeFlipper

Senior Member
Messages
13,705
Light therapy now treats even the deepest cancer

‎Wednesday‎, ‎March‎ ‎18‎, ‎2015

Light therapy
is a safe, easy way to kill cancer and treat other diseases, but it's normally limited by its nature to illnesses that are skin-deep. Washington University researchers aren't daunted, however. They've developed a phototherapy method that brings light directly to tumor cells, no matter how deep they are. The technique has you ingesting sugar combined with radioactive fluorine and light-sensitive, cancer-fighting nanoparticles. When you go through a PET scan, the sugar lights up and promptly kicks the nanoparticles into high gear. Effectively, this is a Trojan horse -- since tumors eagerly absorb sugar, they're sowing the seeds of their own demise.

Before you ask: the procedure should be safe. The researchers note that the light and material are only targeted at tumors, so you shouldn't get sick because of some stray nanoparticles floating around your body. There are far fewer drugs involved than in chemotherapy, too. And you may not have to wait long to find out how well this in-body light therapy works in practice -- Washington University is already planning a small-scale trial for its approach. If it proves successful and leads to official approval, you may have a shot at recovering from particularly sinister forms of cancer without facing terrible side effects.

The Link: Washington University in St. Louis

Are there any updates on this procedure Prof?
 

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