University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences have come close to bringing up a cancer treatment that is not so invasive or exorbitant, yet far more effective.

Conventional cancer treatment forms like radiation, surgery and chemotherapy may find a substitute if we go by the conviction of the scientists at Little Rock. They are using carbon nanotubes for diagnosing and killing off malignant cells.

Lead researchers Dr. Alex Biris, chief scientist with UALR’s Nanotechnology Center, and Dr. Vladimir Zharov, director of the laser and nanomedicine labs of the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS declared the research which is published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, at UALR. The technique developed by the scientists direct nanoparticles to the cancerous cells in which the particles attach to the damage cell thereby unveiling the identity of cancerous cells to therapists. A laser is utilized for destruction of the nanoparticles later.

Biris, Zharov and Dr. Ekaterina Glanzha of UAMS researched on injecting merely a single cancer cell comprising of carbon nanotubes into the tail vein of a test rat. Raman spectrometer technology is then used by the scientist to monitor and detect the moving nanoparticles in real time. With this technology the scientists is able to follow the circulation of the nanotubes through the rat’s blood vessels, lymphatic system, up to its ear.

According to Dr. Daniel Casciano, the project advisor, the new technology can branch out into something extraordinary. Casciano who is also the former director of the Food & Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research at Jefferson suggested that the line of treatment could ably substitute the conventional modes of treating cancer. He added that the discovery could end up in finding out about solid tumors, metastic cancer cells, personalized cancer therapies and a lot more.

The vanguard application of nanotube method would probably be for breast and prostate carcinoma. This is perhaps attributable to greater knowledge of these forms of cancer. It also remains to be seen whether the nanoparticles are moderately toxic or nearly non-toxic. Their successful transition from the tentative stage to the application stage is also sought with keen anticipation.

According to the researchers at the ASCO (American Society for Clinical Oncology), lung cancer screenings that are used these days may lead to serious health hazards and may have certain hidden risks attached with them.

The NIH (National Institutes of Health) is currently carrying out a large scale study on whether screening patients with CT scans can really save lives. Many doctors have already started using this technique hoping that it will enable them to detect tumors at an early stage and thus help them to cure the tumors. However according to leading author Jennifer Croswell, these scans are not always reliable as many a times the results of such screening are difficult to interpret and understand. Croswell added that there was a 21% probability that these results would cause unnecessary frighten and suspicion among patients.

Croswell continued that doubtful results can often lead to thorough follow-up examinations and checkups, like biopsies and even surgeries in some cases in which the doctors operate patient’s chest in order to examine the lungs.

According to the research conducted among the1600 smokers and ex-smokers who underwent CT scan, 40 individuals developed real cancer, while 8 of them underwent surgery despite having non cancerous conditions.

Croswell is still not convinced with the fact that these screenings actually aided anyone because the study haven’t gone long enough to prove that these screenings actually save lives.

According to Peter Bach who is a pulmonologist working at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Clinic in New York, CT scans also exposes people to various radiations, which can increase the chance of developing cancer. Mr. Bach states that people who undergo CT scans are 100 times more susceptible in getting a false alarm or threat. He added that the ACS (American Cancer Society) does not recommend lung screenings as they are not included in the insurance policies.

According to scientists, providing increased amounts of Vitamin D to individuals could help in reducing breast cancer by about 1/4 and reduce the occurrence of bowel cancer by about 1/3. These statements are based on the results of about 2750 previous researches which involved vitamin D. Result from the study indicate that intake of vitamin supplements on daily basis, could play a vital role in preventing cancer.

Vitamin D commonly known as ‘bottled sunshine’ – is produced by the reaction between sun ray on the individual’s skin. Thus people living in countries which have long winter conditions such as the United Kingdom often found to be deficient in the amount of vitamin D present in their bodies due to lack of adequate sunshine during the months of October to March.

A joint task force from United States and Canada is currently examining and exploring whether the prescribed levels of vitamin intake by individual’s which is currently at 200-600 IUs per day could be increased. The same amount of vitamin level is suggested in the United Kingdom as well; however the official policy in UK states that sunlight and having a healthy diet containing eggs and oily fish are adequate in helping achieve the daily vitamin level in most individuals. Yet, some medical experts and doctors feel that the level of vitamin D intake should be 5-10 times more than current suggested amount.

Professor Garland along and his colleagues suggest in the Annals of Epidemiology that increasing the current daily level of vitamin intake to about 2000 IUs (which is the present maximum level that is recommended in countries such as Canada) would help in preventing around 200,000 cases involving breast cancer and about 250,000 instances regarding bowel cancer a year all over the world.

Professor Garland added that while he used to travel from California towards the east coast as a young doctor he found that bowel cancer was more common in the northern and eastern parts as compared to the southern and the western parts. Professor Garland and his brother assumed that weather and climate of a region plays a role in the development of these types of cancers.  However after about 25 years, their idea has been proven to be correct and people have started paying more attention towards the condition.

Vitamin D over the years has attracted increased levels of attention due to the fact that it helps in preventing various forms of cancer and other conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. This research has put increased levels of pressure to investigate the link

British researchers have come over radical stuff in remedying breast and ovarian cancer. A significant tumor-busting gene is the crux of their research. BRCA1 is the sought after gene and its detailed analysis brings nothing short of a revelation. In UK alone, the breakthrough research could save up to 0.15 million women lives. Defunct BRCA1 has been the overlying cause of forceful ovarian and breast cancers.

Mutation of BRCA1 gene, largely hereditary, puts the body in a quandary, where it can hardly replenish fragmented DNA. This results in malignant cells. Yet, the function of BRCA1 and how a defunct BRCA1 increases the risk of cancer is largely unexplained until recently. According to scientists at Medical Research Council, involvement of a protein named Ct1P cannot be overruled. A defunct BRCA1 will not be able to interact correctly with Ct1P thus rendering it dysfunctional in replenishing damaged DNA.

According to champion author Dr Kevin Hiom, the revelation is nothing short of a smart breakthrough. He seems to be exceptionally pleased with the aftermath of the research suggesting that the precise mechanism behind DNA repair will uncover many more mysteries. He said that if researchers can understand how DNA repair works, it will give them a better chance to find the exact treatment and prevention steps to fight against ovarian and breast cancer.

The BRCA1 ‘cancer susceptibility gene’ is present in 1 out of every 800 women thus enhancing the chance of breast carcinoma by 85 percent. Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge has become the cynosure of all eyes with this breakthrough igniting hopes of cancer remedy. Women are certainly merrier with what they are hearing.