Cancer Cure News 2017: Low-Cost Treatment Kills Tumors Using Ethanol
Ethanol could be the key for low-cost and effective cancer treatments.
Reports note that Duke University researchers successfully reached a 100 percent cure rate for squamous cell carcinoma after directly injecting a hamster model's tumor with ethanol-based gel. Inspired by the existing low-cost cancer therapy known as ethanol ablation, the new research improves the method of curing cancer by covering a wider variety of tumors.
Ethanol is a substance that can kill certain types of tumors when injected. In a process called ethanol ablation, the alcohol can destroy proteins and fatally dehydrate cancer cells. It is already used in the medical field to treat a variety of liver cancer. It is one of the most convenient choices for people since it has a success rate similar to that of surgery and costs less than $5 each treatment session.
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It's worth noting that ethanol ablation as a treatment is limited. Researchers were able to improve the technique by creating a solution that turns into a gel within tumors. This makes sure the solution stays close to the site where it was injected.
Last week, scientists have developed small, light-activated nanomachines capable of drilling into cancer cells. These machines can kill cancer cells within minutes, according to The Verge. Aside from killing cancer, the nanomachines could also open new ways of treatment. Researchers who discovered how to build these machines were the recipients of last year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
"We are moving towards realising our ambition to be able to use light-activated nanomachines to target cancer cells such as those in breast tumours and skin melanomas, including those that are resistant to existing chemotherapy," Dr. Robert Pal of Durham University said in a statement. "Once developed, this approach could provide a potential step change in non-invasive cancer treatment and greatly improve survival rates and patient welfare globally," he enthused.
