Technologies That Are Used to Treat Cancer

0
1006
Sick woman with cancer reading a book on a sofa in the hospice

Cancer is the great health scourge of the modern age. While the medical world is figuring out more about what can cause cancer, they are still short of an actual cure that works for all cases.

But that doesn’t mean there is no hope. New technologies are developing all the time that can improve cancer treatment outcomes.

Robotics

Removing tumors that can be operated on is an important part of cancer treatment. The hope is that once the tumor is gone, it won’t be able to come back and it won’t have spread, which will allow the patient to go into remission.

Surgeons are now able to use robotic surgery to remove tumors laparoscopically, which allows the patient to receive the treatment that they need with less invasive procedures and an easier recovery. Even if surgery can’t remove the tumor, these kinds of surgeries can also be used to relieve symptoms or reduce the size of the tumor.

Magnetics

The most common cancer treatments focus on killing cancer cells by targeting DNA damage. This is something that can be effective, but it isn’t able to treat all kinds of cancer, and sometimes the cancer still comes back. Doctors are trying and seeing success in using magnetic nanoparticles to destroy tumors.

Nanoparticles can be heated using a magnetic field to destroy cancer cells. They are attached to the cancer cells and activated to spin around and destroy the cells themselves. Doctors are also able to make sure that these nanoparticles only target cancer cells, which means that there is no damage to other cells in your body, which is a much better option than surgery or chemotherapy.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a hot buzzword right now, but it can also help with cancer treatments. One of the most frustrating things that doctors deal with is not understanding exactly how a body will react to treatments and whether or not it will be successful. Right now, doctors can use artificial intelligence to test out treatments before using them on patients. AI can also be used to analyze screenings to see if people are at a higher risk of developing cancer later on. This allows for both earlier detection and preventative care that can save lives.

These new technologies and their new uses are a great way of improving patient outcomes and making sure that the world takes the next step toward eliminating cancer for good. While it may never be fully preventable, there is always hope that there will be a true cure one day.

Did you enjoy reading this article? Here’s more to read. Handy Gadgets Everyone Needs in Their Office