marymary100
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![[*]](./images/kfblue/default_icon.gif) Post 509209 posted on 3-9-2017 at 16:10 |
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Ethanol ablation
killing tumours
cheaply
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In the rich world, cancer therapy is expensive. In the developing world, it may not be available at all. Not only is cutting-edge technology in short
supply, but so are things like electricity and medical personnel. The lack of necessary resources for basic healthcare is made obvious by the fact
that, if diagnosed with cancer, a person in the developing world is more likely to die from it than a person in the developed world.
To help alleviate this problem, cheap, uncomplicated, portable, and preferably non-surgical treatments that do not require electricity are needed.
Now, a team of researchers from Duke University has shown that injecting an ethanol-based gel directly into a specific type of tumor, called squamous
cell carcinoma, resulted in a 100% cure rate in a hamster model.
The authors were already aware of a therapy known as ethanol ablation. If ethanol (the type of alcohol found in your favorite adult beverages) is
injected into a tumor, it destroys proteins and causes the cells to dehydrate and die. Ethanol ablation is used to treat one type of liver cancer, and
its success rate is similar to that of surgery. Better yet, it costs less than $5 per treatment.
Ethanol ablation faces several limitations. First, it only works well for tumors that are surrounded by a fibrous capsule. Second, it requires large
amounts of ethanol, which can damage nearby tissue as it leaks out. And third, it requires multiple treatments.
To overcome these hurdles, the authors mixed ethanol with ethyl cellulose, creating a solution that when injected into the watery environment of a
tumor turns into a gel, which remains close to the injection site. After they practiced injecting their solution into imitation tumors (what they
called "mechanical phantoms"), the authors turned to a hamster model.
The team induced the formation of oral cancer (specifically, squamous cell carcinoma) in hamster cheek pouches by rubbing them with a carcinogen
called DMBA. After about 22 weeks, tumors (without capsules) formed.
In the control group, tumors were injected with pure ethanol. The results were not good. After seven days, 0 of 5 tumors regressed completely. (Tumors
injected with a large amount of ethanol -- four times the volume of the original tumor -- performed better: 4 of 12 regressed completely.) The results
for the ethanol gel were far superior. After seven days, 6 of 7 tumors regressed completely. (By the eighth day, all 7 tumors were gone, for a cure
rate of 100%.)
As merely a proof-of-concept in an animal model with small sample sizes, obviously more work needs to be done. Still, the results are incredibly
promising. The team's findings suggest that merely a single injection of their special ethanol-based gel may be sufficient to cure certain types of
tumors. They believe their technique may be applicable to some breast cancers and cervical precancerous lesions.
Furthermore, any technological advances that result from the team's research will have applicability not only to the developing world but to the
developed one, as well.
Source: Robert Morhard, et al. "Development of enhanced ethanol ablation as an alternative to surgery in treatment of superficial solid tumors."
Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 8750. Published: 18-Aug-2017. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-09371-2
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My uncle died when his heart stopped in an oral cancer op so this is interesting news.
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LSemmens
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| Post 509212 posted on 4-9-2017 at 00:40 |
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Don't tell the greenies that they were practising on live animals or we'll have to throw it out.
Seriously, I hope that it works well in proper clinical trials.
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scholar
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| Post 509217 posted on 4-9-2017 at 17:20 |
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This is certainly a great step in the direction that I have advocated all along.
The way to solve the problem of financing good medical care lies in bringing down the COST of health care, as this promises to do.
This struck home to me again this week when the cost of my monthly prescription went up from $61 to $102. I found a different pharmacy discount card
that enabled me to get it for $86. This is a tablet that cost $15, perhaps 5 years ago. The price has gone up in excess of the cost to
manufacture.
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