One of my most memorable experiences so far was looking at the breast cancer cells through the microscope. It is amazing, but very unfortunate, that cancer is such a powerful and dominating disease and it has the ability to keep reproducing itself despite the lack of a body. The sample of breast cancer that we observed has been replicating itself for ten years, even though the women that had the cancer had already passed away. Observing the cancer made me want to research the current developments that are being researched for cancer prevention. According the ABC News in Australia, a “third of cancers shown up in screening tests may pose no threat to health”. The reason for this is that it is impossible to tell lethal cancers from harmless cancers, and thus, they are treated the same way. A few sources even reported that people who are suffering from cancer feel better when they look better. Eighty-six percent of women suffering from cancer credited looking better with feeling better.
Upon researching, I found that a new device, called CyberKnife, has been used to treat a man with pancreatic cancer, which has a prognosis of only thirteen percent of survivors a year past detection and only three percent of survivors five years after detection. A laser, which has sub-millimeter accuracy, within the device shoots hundreds of beams of radiation at difficult-to-reach tumors. However, this device is extremely sensitive and even a simple cough would cause the entire procedure to be restarted.
http://i318.photobucket.com/albums/mm425/hoops4kobe/braincancer.jpg
An image of brain cancer.
http://i318.photobucket.com/albums/mm425/hoops4kobe/breast_cancer_cells_200.jpg
Cancerous cells.
http://i318.photobucket.com/albums/mm425/hoops4kobe/cyberknife.jpg
CyberKnife.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/10/2622998.htm
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2009/07/12/ara/senior_living/8744.txt
http://www.accuray.com/clinicans/products/tracking-systems/index.aspx
http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/4615.htm