Amazing tech being used to addressed tumors

[begreen]

This is being tested and developed at the University of Washington. It's good to see Amazon money being used for this incredible novel treatment of some of the most difficult tumors.

Sound Waves Replace Scalpels to Fight Cancer's Toughest Tumors

How does a technique called histotripsy turn tumors into a liquid slurry without harming healthy tissue? Learn about this new noninvasive cancer treatment.

spectrum.ieee.org

 

[Whitenuckler]

This is being tested and developed at the University of Washington. It's good to see Amazon money being used for this incredible novel treatment of some of the most difficult tumors.

Sound Waves Replace Scalpels to Fight Cancer's Toughest Tumors

How does a technique called histotripsy turn tumors into a liquid slurry without harming healthy tissue? Learn about this new noninvasive cancer treatment.

spectrum.ieee.org

Wow, I had no idea this was being researched. It sounds like a great way to treat cancers. I use Amazon all the time, so it's good they are looking at medical solutions with their huge resources.

 

[stoveliker]

Cool. Reading it I got concerned about having cancer dna floating around possibly getting into other cells and spreading that way. But it seems the immune system gets more active due to parts being released from the bad cells. So that's good.
(I'm a medical noob, so maybe my concern was completely stupid anyway...)

It's Bezos money, not Amazon sponsored (per the piece). Fiscal difference.

 

[begreen]

Cancer DNA can remain in the bloodstream with the best of conventional surgery. This is true when one has a genetic disposition to cancer like with the BRCA gene mutation. At that point, follow up anti-cancer maintenance drugs like Lynparza are being used with more being tested.

 

[bigealta]

Well as owner of just under 10% of amazon. It kind of is partly amazon money whether they sponsor it or not.
The better amazon stock performs the more money Jeff has to do these investments.

 

[stoveliker]

Yes but there's a difference between cutting a tumor out and releasing some (tho you hope they cut out all, i.e. around the outside of it) and pulverizing a tumor in place. The latter releases much more.

But apparently that's good.

Complicated systems, living things ;-)

 

[bigealta]

Yes but there's a difference between cutting a tumor out and releasing some (tho you hope they cut out all, i.e. around the outside of it) and pulverizing a tumor in place. The latter releases much more.

But apparently that's good.

Complicated systems, living things ;-)

Would be interesting to know how much "live cancer" tumor is released vs how much was destroyed, or made non cancerous, when the tumor gets liquefied in this process.

 

[begreen]

"Khokhlova says the key to harnessing histotripsy’s benefits “will be combining ablation of the primary tumor in the pancreas with some other therapy.” Combination treatment could fight recurrent cancer and tiny tumors that ultrasound might miss, while also tapping into a surprising benefit.

Histotripsy generally seems to stimulate an immune response, helping the body attack cancer cells that weren’t targeted directly by ultrasound. The mechanical destruction of tumors likely leaves behind recognizable traces of cancer proteins that help the immune system learn to identify and destroy similar cells elsewhere in the body, explains Wood. Researchers are now exploring ways to pair histotripsy with immunotherapy to amplify that effect."

The huge benefit is that this surgery is non-invasive, meaning a ton less stress on the body. This should help the patients ability to recover and get back to their family or work, the next day with no pain or recovery shock.

 

[stoveliker]

Yes, that is what I was referring to above that what was my concern initially, seems to be a benefit.