A new concept for targeted cancer treatment has proven somewhat successful in mice thus far. The concept relies on using radioactive ion beams to target cancerous tumors and cells directly. There are, of course, a number of reasons why scientists continue to look for better ways to target cancer cells. For starters, radiation is extremely harsh and hard on the body. Without being more targeted, it tends to destroy cells of all nature, causing a slew of side effects that many patients likely want to avoid.
We’ve seen some very impressive cancer treatments in recent years. Not only have scientists come up with injectable cancer medication, but they’ve also found ways to kill cancer with light, something that could very well open up doors for revolutionary new treatment options. This latest system works similarly by using a beam of radioactive ions to target the cancer directly.
By using targeted cancer treatment, the researchers showed that mice were able to experience far less collateral damage than current techniques allow for. And, with further testing, it could very well be ready to test on humans, too. The researchers highlight the success of their ion beam treatment in a study published in Elsevier.
These kinds of more targeted treatment options could be very good for treating tumors that are deep inside the body, as well as those that are close to sensitive organs and parts of the body. Imagine a cancerous tumor next to the spinal cord. Injecting chemotherapy drugs into the body near that area could cause harm to cells within the spinal cord.
However, with a more targeted cancer treatment like this ion beam, the radiation would be delivered directly to the tumors, avoiding collateral damage to sensitive organs like the spinal cord. Most radiotherapy that doctors rely on already uses beams of X-rays to destroy cancer cells. However, when those tumors are deep in the body or close to sensitive organs, they destroy healthy tissue in their path.
This leads to other side effects, as well as complications, and can cause healing time to take much longer. Thankfully, with the success of this ion beam treatment, we could see better cancer treatments coming about.
