40% of cancers are potentially preventable and Magnetic Nanoparticles Could Combat Cancer

1. International Union Against Cancer – 40% of cancers are potentially preventable.

The risk of developing cancer can significantly be reduced through simple measures:

* Stop tobacco use and avoid exposure to second-hand smoke
* Limit alcohol consumption
* Avoid excessive sun exposure
* Maintain a healthy weight, through eating healthily and exercising regularly
* Protect against cancer-causing infections

2.

Scientists at Georgia Tech and the Ovarian Cancer Institute have further developed a potential new treatment against cancer that uses magnetic nanoparticles to attach to cancer cells, removing them from the body. The treatment, tested in mice in 2008, has now been tested using samples from human cancer patients. The results appear online in the journal Nanomedicine

“Often, the lethality of cancers is not attributed to the original tumor but to the establishment of distant tumors by cancer cells that exfoliate from the primary tumor,” said Scarberry. “Circulating tumor cells can implant at distant sites and give rise to secondary tumors. Our technique is designed to filter the peritoneal fluid or blood and remove these free floating cancer cells, which should increase longevity by preventing the continued metastatic spread of the cancer.”

In tests, they showed that their technique worked as well with at capturing cancer cells from human patient samples as it did previously in mice. The next step is to test how well the technique can increase survivorship in live animal models. If that goes well, they will then test it with humans.