The most common treatments for cancer are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Surgery can be invasive and have a long recovery period. But now, there is new technology that can help cancer patients through an outpatient procedure. Called a Femtosecond Laser, this device has been developed to precisely locate, map and destroy cancer tumors non-invasively. The laser uses ultra-short light pulses that move at speeds of one-quadrillionth of a second to zero in on the exact tumor location.
The main advantage to the technology is that it can target and destroy tumorous cells without damaging other tissue. The ultra-short light pulses give researchers the ability to focus on a well-confined region. It is more exact than current treatments.
Another plus is that it works fast. The femtosecond laser can come in and leave a specific area quickly to diagnose and attack tumorous cells. Once the cancerous area is targeted, all that is needed is for the radiation intensity to be turned up to burn off the tumor. Because it can be done in an outpatient setting, the technology is being hailed as easier and more cost-effective than the more invasive treatments commonly used for cancer. Considering all the technology, staff and resources used, hospital stays can be very expensive. In addition, patients will benefit from being able to come into the office and have the simple procedure done in one day.
While the technology will help people with most types of cancer, it is particularly beneficial for patients with brain cancer. The imaging technology can see through thin layers of bone, like that of the skull, non-invasively. Current treatments are limited because of the higher possibility of damaging neighboring healthy tissue. The ultra-short light pulses can avoid heating up too many things you do not want heated as compared with radiation done with longer laser-light pulses. One of the researchers explained that using longer laser-light pulses is similar to leaving a light bulb on, which gets warm and can damage healthy tissue. The new device can overcome difficulties in treating brain cancer and tumors, especially in cases where surgery may not be an option and if not all carcinogenic tissue can be removed.
The femtosecond laser was developed by scientists at the Center for Laser Applications at the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Two professors, Christian Parigger, associate professor at the University of Tennessee, and Jacqueline Johnson, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering, created the technology along with Robert Splinter of Splinter Consultants. The University of Tennessee Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps the university bring its inventions to market, is working with researchers to commercialize the product and make it widely available.
Lara Mossa Stump
and
Hulet Smith, OT
