Gold Nanoshells Help Visibly Heat And Destroy Cancer, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc. Study

ScienceDaily (Aug. 6, 2008) — Most cancer tumors that have clear borders and are well defined have traditionally been treated successfully by surgical removal. But not all cancers respond to conventional surgery. More importantly, conventional surgery brings risks of complications and long recovery periods that can negatively impact a person's quality of life.To overcome these treatment limits, a group of researchers based at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, turned to lasers and nanotechnology. They explored an emerging minimally-invasive approach to treating tumors that delivers a lethal dose of laser-generated heat to tumors, known as thermal ablation. To improve thermal ablation, they added a nano-twist that precisely guides and concentrates heat in targeted tumors.

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