17 Dec 2011 - Initially I was not sure, if this is a true story or not, but it comes from a credible website so let's share. And it's nice to have some positive news from the Middle-East (for a change). Israeli
medical researchers say they have developed a new technique for
blasting cancer tumours from the inside out which reduces the risk of
the disease returning after treatment. Tel Aviv University professors Yona Keisari and Itzhak Kelson are about to start clinical trials of a pin-sized radioactive implant that beams short-range alpha radiation from within the tumour.Unlike conventional radiation therapy, which bombards the body with gamma rays from outside, the alpha particles
"diffuse inside the tumour, spreading further and further before
disintegrating," a university statement quoted Keisari as saying.
"It's like a cluster bomb --
instead of detonating at one point, the atoms continuously disperse and
emit alpha particles at increasing distances." The university said that the process takes about 10 days and leaves behind only non-radioactive and non-toxic amounts of lead. "Not only are cancerous cells more
reliably destroyed, but in the majority of cases the body develops
immunity against the return of the tumour," the statement said.
The wire implant, inserted into the tumour by hypodermic needle, "decays harmlessly in the body," it added. It went on to say that in
pre-clinical trials on mice, one group had tumours removed surgically
while another was treated with the radioactive wire. "When cells from the tumour were
reinjected into the subject, 100 percent of those treated surgically
redeveloped their tumour, compared to only 50 percent of those treated
with the radioactive wire," it said.
"The researchers have had excellent results with many types of cancer
models, including lung, pancreatic, colon, breast, and brain tumours."It added that the procedure would begin clinical trials at Beilinson hospital, near Tel Aviv, "soon."
