Tiny Oxygen Generators Boost Effectiveness of Anticancer Treatment

ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2011) � Researchers have created and tested miniature devices that are implanted in tumors to generate oxygen, boosting the killing power of radiation and chemotherapy.

The technology is designed to treat solid tumors that are hypoxic at the center, meaning the core contains low oxygen levels.

"This is not good because radiation therapy needs oxygen to be effective," said Babak Ziaie, a Purdue University professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering. "So the hypoxic areas are hard to kill. Pancreatic and cervical cancers are notoriously hypoxic. If you generate oxygen you can increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy and also chemotherapy."

The new "implantable micro oxygen generator" is an electronic device that receives ultrasound signals and uses the energy to generate a small voltage to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water ╨ a chemical operation called water electrolysis.

"We are putting these devices inside tumors and then exposing the tumors to ultrasound," Ziaie said. "The ultrasound energy powers the device, generating oxygen.

more at link
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831115940.htm

Wow!! Awesome

This post raises more questions than answers for me. Although i did chuckle at how the same page has a link to a study showing that solid cancer tumors work to get extra oxygen so they end up more resistant to radiation which would seem to indicate that for some tumors, more oxygen would be a bad thing.

So does anyone here know if oral cancer tumors are "hypoxic at the center" . The article only mentions pancreatic and cervical cancer tumors and this treatment apparently only works for hypoxic center solid tumors.
Also, what is a non-solid tumor?
Inquiring minds want to know
Charm

Hi - charm I belive that scc is hypoxic. they have been doing studies. The more hypoxic the tumor, the more radio resistant it is. if it's highly hypoxic, then it spreads faster and grows faster as it doesn't respond that well. I do think maybe because certain types of SCC seem far more responsive as - i think brian points out - BOT seems to respond well. Perhaps maybe because it is virus related it is less hypoxic? not sure. just a theory.
A solid tumor is a collection of cells that form a solid mass, liquid tumors are blood born cancers like leukemia etc... I just completely simplified that but I imagine you get what im saying. This is all very exciting!

This still focuses around enhancing conventional treatment much similar to news article that I read recently which said that researchers have created hand-held device that delivers a �turbo-charged� vaccine into muscles to treat cancer by means of using electric pulses. Ref: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...to-combat-cancer/articleshow/9829817.cms

What cancer, specially oral cancer, needs is a revolution. I have all my eyes and ears for oncolytic virus.

Yes, that's one revolution we can all hope for ... and maybe its coming: http://oralcancernews.org/wp/new-re...or-cells-without-harming-healthy-tissue/