25
Aug 2020
Hi-tech plasma pen uses shaft of light to destroy cancer cells left behind following removal of tumour
A hi-tech pen has been developed which uses a beam of light to destroy cancer cells left behind following the removal of a tumour.
Rogue cells can increase the chances of cancer returning. After breast cancer surgery, around 20 per cent of women in the UK experience a recurrence in this way.
The Canady Helios Cold Plasma System uses plasma, an electrically charged gas, to target tissue at the site of the removed tumour, triggering the release of toxic molecules, otherwise known as radicals, which destroy cancer cells and leave healthy cells intact.
After they have been in contact with the plasma, the cancer cells produce more toxic free radicals, overwhelming the cells which are quickly destroyed. Healthy cells, free of the toxic molecules, suffer little or no damage, as exposure to the plasma lasts only minutes.
Surgery is the usual treatment for large and solid tumours, such as prostate or breast cancer. During removal of the tumour, a few millimetres of surrounding tissue is also removed, to destroy any hidden, but it is never certain that all cells have been removed. The plasma pen, which is currently undergoing clinical trials in Washington DC, is being used following surgery, and it is believed could be the solution.
John Butler, consultant surgeon at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London, said “This is potentially exciting, but we need to see how it performs during clinical trials before we can say it will definitely improve outcomes for patients.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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