'Booby jacuzzi' helps treat breast cancer
Key points
- A therapy nicknamed the "booby jacuzzi" has yielded dramatic results in the treatment of women with severe breast cancer.
- Women taking part in a new trial lay upon a table for an hour as radio energy warmed their breasts, which were immersed in water.
- The heat activated a drug trapped inside fatty bubbles called liposomes, causing it to leak out and attack the tumour's genetic machinery.
- Scientists reporting the preliminary findings at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando, Florida, say the results are far more dramatic than laboratory studies had led them to expect.
A therapy nicknamed the "booby jacuzzi" has yielded dramatic results in the treatment of women with severe breast cancer.
Women taking part in a new trial lay upon a table for an hour as radio energy warmed their breasts, which were immersed in water.
The heat activated a drug trapped inside fatty bubbles called liposomes, causing it to leak out and attack the tumour's genetic machinery.
Scientists reporting the preliminary findings at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando, Florida, say the results are far more dramatic than laboratory studies had led them to expect.
In several women, all visible signs of cancer were destroyed. In others, the treatment had saved their breasts from surgical removal. Tumour growth was stopped in its tracks in every case.
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
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