A bandage that “cooks” tumor cells could aid in the treatment of the most lethal kind of skin cancer.
The dressing is intended to be worn after a patient has undergone surgery to remove a malignant melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer, which annually kills over 2,000 people in the United Kingdom.
Approximately ninety percent of cases are caused by exposure to UV light, primarily from the sun, and the incidence rate is rising.
When removing a malignant mole or patch of skin, which is most commonly found on the back in males and the legs in women, surgeons typically remove additional ‘good’ tissue in case a few errant cancer cells have already spread.
This additional margin can be up to 2cm wide, depending on the depth of the tumor’s invasion. The larger the tumor, the greater the probability that some cells have moved slightly beyond the location of cancer.
However, removing a piece of good tissue does not guarantee the elimination of all cancerous cells. Any residual cells could trigger the disease months or even years later, and studies indicate that approximately 13% of people get melanoma recurrence within two years of the removal of malignant tissue.
The high-tech bandage has the potential to minimize the recurrence risk by eliminating any remaining cancer cells following surgery.
It is based on photothermal therapy, in which a laser beam is utilized to heat tumor cells to the point where they self-destruct.
Cancer cells are more susceptible to heat damage than healthy cells, so temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius can destroy cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed.
Photothermal therapy, which is accessible on the National Health Service, typically entails injecting a light-sensitive chemical into the tumor location and then bombarding it with laser light for a few minutes. It is used for cancers of the skin and liver.
This treatment must be repeated every few days or weeks, typically in a hospital setting.
In addition, tumors frequently have convoluted blood arteries, making it difficult to control the chemical’s flow once it has been injected.
The experimental bandage, which resembles a plaster, performs the same function, but patients can apply it using an infrared lamp at home. The dressing contains a chemical that transforms light into heat.
According to laboratory testing on cells, shining the light on the bandage for 15 seconds every two days provides enough heat to eradicate the tumor. The findings were recently published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Now, the University of Nottingham researchers who developed the dressing intend to test it on patients. If successful, surgeons may be able to remove lesser amounts of tissue, so decreasing scarring and accelerating recovery.
Cancer Research UK’s research information manager, Dr. Rupal Mistry, says, “This surgical garment could be used to help eliminate cancer, but it will be some time before it is used in the clinic.”
Mini muscle may
Small muscles with large roles. This week: the eye’s ciliary muscle
This muscle resembles a circle surrounding the lens of the eye, and its form varies to help us focus. When the muscle contracts, it thickens the lens for near vision, and when it relaxes, it thins the lens for distance vision.
From the mid-40s onward, the lens becomes less flexible, making the ciliary muscle’s task more difficult and its effects less potent. This is when reading glasses are required.
Additionally, excessive close reading (particularly on tiny displays) can cause the ciliary muscle to spasm, blurring vision at a distance.
To maintain the health of the ciliary muscle, Clare Roberts, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, suggests minimizing screen time and taking regular 20-minute breaks from persistent close work by focusing on an object 20 feet away.
She says that humans were not evolved to stare at close objects for extended periods. Remember to relax; the more anxious you are, the hazier your vision will get.
