Among all forms of the disease, lung cancer is the deadliest diagnosis a man can receive. However, new research may provide the path to more effective treatments of the cancer, as a recent study conducted by Edinburgh University scientists suggests that gold nanoparticles could be implemented to help target and deliver drugs to tumors. This method would allow for greater precision in targeting diseased cells instead of healthy ones, and would thus reduce the side effects associated with chemotherapy.
The procedure—which involved encasing the gold nanoparticles in a chemical device and then guiding them to specific locations—has not yet been tested in humans, but found success when tested on zebrafish.
“There is still work to do before we can use this on patients, but this study is a step forward,” Asier Unciti-Broceta, Ph.D., from the University of Edinburgh’s Cancer Research Center, said in a statement. “We hope that a similar device in humans could one day be implanted by surgeons to activate chemotherapy directly in tumors and reduce harmful effects to healthy organs.”
Its uses may not be limited to just lung cancer, either.
“In particular, it could help improve treatment for brain tumors and other hard-to-treat cancers,” Aine McCarthy, Ph.D., a senior information officer at the Cancer Research Center, added in the statement. “The next steps will be to see if this method is safe to use in people, what its long- and short-term side effects are, and if it’s a better way to treat some cancers.”
However, until we have better answers on the efficacy of this approach, you’re better off minimizing your chances of getting lung cancer altogether.
source: Menshealth
via: INFORMATION NIGERIA
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