Topics: Pharmacology, Invention
Chemotherapy can be up to 34% more effective thanks to a new technique that combines standard therapy with magnetic particles that literally roast cancer cells, writes The Daily Mail. University College London has found that the combination of heat and chemotherapy can enhance the effects of cancer therapy.
The idea is this: magnetic nanoparticles attach to cancer cells while carrying an anti-cancer agent with them. Further, a magnetic field harmless to humans is applied to the affected area. This activates the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles, which causes the particles to heat up and heat, respectively, the cancer cells. This process damages the tumor, making it less resistant in the face of the chemotherapeutic agent.
To date, the technique has only been tested in the laboratory. Human breast cancer and glioblastoma (brain cancer) cells, according to a new technique. Together with nanoparticles, doxorubicin (a chemotherapy drug) was used. This combination killed 98% of brain cancer cells in 48 hours. Doxorubicin alone destroyed only 73%. For breast cancer, the rates were 89% and 77%, respectively.
