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A prostate cancer treatment could revolutionise how the disease is tackled by removing tumours with no long-term scars or marks.
Medical researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Australia tested the new treatment on human prostate tumours in mice.
The treatment consists of minuscule multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) injected into the tumours before being superheated by a laser.
The mice were only left with a small burn mark that healed within days. Apart from that, no evidence of the procedure could be seen.
The research is expected to appear in a future printed version of ACS Nano, but an advanced copy of it is up available to be viewed on the journal`s website.
Professor William H Gmeiner, who led the study, said: “That we could eradicate the tumour mass and not harm the tissue is truly amazing.
“The long-term goal in the project is to be able to use the DNA-encased MWCNTs in multi-modality fashion for a variety of types of tumours.”
Copyright Press Association 2009
