Cancer Headlines PARIS (AP) - Experiments on mice have shown promise for the future of nanotechnology in treating cancer. The research brings doctors one step closer to being able to inject patients with nanoparticles that bore inside tumours and release powerful doses of cancer-killing drugs while leaving the rest of the body unscathed. After seeing how the mice were cured of human prostate cancer with the technology, cancer specialists gathered at the European Cancer Conference in Paris on Tuesday praised the work as impressive and said they had high hopes for its application to patients. "There are a lot of candidates for intelligent carriers, and these nanoparticles are among them," said Dr. Gordon McVie, a professor at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy, who was not involved with the research. "This is a new system, and the more systems we have, the better, because we'll probably be lucky if we get one system to work out of 10," McVie said. "It looks as if it could be quite good." Dr. David Kerr, a professor of clinical pharmacology and cancer therapeutics at Oxford University in England who was not connected with the research, said the latest approach outlined at the conference may have the edge over others. Previous designs of nanoparticles have used antibodies to zone in on cancer cells. "The body's immunodefence system can create antibodies to the therapeutic antibodies, deactivate them and prevent the antibody binding to the right cancer cells. This looks like a step forward," Kerr said. Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating matter smaller than 100 nanometres and taking advantage of properties that are present only at that level, such as conductivity. A nanometre is one-billionth of a metre, or about one-millionth the size of a pin head. The prefix comes from "nanos," the Greek word for dwarf. Nanotech has been around for several decades, but only now is its potential starting to be realized. Medicine is expected to be one of the fields to benefit most from the technology. In cancer, it is hoped the technology will allow for more precisely targeted drugs and surgery and less toxic chemotherapy. The study, conducted by scientists at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which are pioneering cancer nanotechnology, involved engineering nanoparticles embedded with the cancer drug Taxotere. The particles were then injected directly into human tumours created from prostate cancer cell lines and implanted into the flanks of mice. The mice were watched for 100 days. The technology being tested involves a nanoparticle made of a hydrogen and carbon polymer with bits of drug bound up in its fabric and attached to a chemical that hones in on cancer cells. The polymer gradually dissolves, exposing the nuggets of drug little by little. The mice were divided into five groups, including one that had their tumours injected with ineffective saltwater. A second group died after injections of a nanoparticle containing no drugs.
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Colon Cancer Centre
Medical Tourism Saves You Money, but Which Country is Best?By Stephen Todd Increasingly, people from the industrialized countries of the world are seeking out places where they can both enjoy a vacation and obtain medical treatment at a lower price, than in their country of residence. Medical tourists are increasing in numbers, but which country is best for medical tourism? Medical Tours to India For medical tourism, India is a relative newcomer, but recent estimates indicate that the number of foreign patients is increasing by 30 percent each year. India has world-class medical facilities, with excellent staff in all areas of medical care. All Indian hospitals are equipped with the latest electronic and medical diagnostic equipment. India also has the technological sophistication and infrastructure to maintain its market lead. Indian pharmaceuticals for example, meet the stringent requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. India's quality of care is world class, competing with any other industrialized country. Indian medical centres provide services that are in fact uncommon elsewhere. For example, hip surgery patients in India can have a hip-resurfacing procedure, in which damaged bone is taken away and replaced with chrome alloy, an operation that costs less and causes fewer traumas than the traditional replacement operations carried out in western countries. Medical Tours to South East Asia South East Asia offers some great advantages for medical tourism with Thailand being the main destination and the main rival to India. The Thai medical profession is probably the most advanced in the region and successive governments have invested in ensuring the necessary education and training. Many doctors undertake specialist training abroad, particularly in the United States and Europe and are at least as well qualified as physicians in these countries. Singapore and Malaysia also have well developed medical facilities. Medical Tours to the East Indies For North American patients, the East Indies and Costa Rica in particular, are the chosen destinations for medical tourism. Costa Rica provides close, inexpensive, high-quality medical care without a trans-Pacific flight. Cost wise though, it is more expensive for medical tourists generally, particularly from destinations outside of the USA. Medical Tourism in South America Medical tourism in South America is mainly cantered on Brazil, which has been a centre for plastic surgery for many years. With a large influx of medical tourists particularly from the USA, Brazil has built a well-developed healthcare industry in all areas. Although slightly more pricey than many other destinations, you are assured of good quality healthcare in Brazil - one of the most beautiful countries on earth. Argentina also has a flourishing medical tourism industry, but its geographical position is a problem for many. The Rest Medical tourism is growing in other countries with Eastern Europe, Africa, and Dubai entering the industry. Dubai will be providing the Dubai Healthcare City by 2010 and this clinic will be the largest international medical centre between Europe and South East Asia. Including a new branch of the Harvard Medical School, it will be prestigious, but aimed at the medical tourist with more money. Eastern Europe and Africa are emerging markets, but probably have some way to go to match the healthcare services available in countries such as India. India for Medical Tourism There are many choices for medical tourists seeking overseas healthcare and many destinations have reasons to recommend them, but overall for medical tourists, it will be India that will be the most attractive. Why? Simply, India has wide variety of treatments, world-class hospitals, and medical staff, is inexpensive, and offers a beautiful holiday destination. For more information about medical tours to India and the cost savings possible visit our web site: http://www.meddetour.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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