CANCER CELLS IN HEALERS' SIGHTS

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

CANCER CELLS IN HEALERS' SIGHTS
from The Los Angeles Times

Inoperable lung cancer" is a devastating diagnosis for a patient to
hear, but a new treatment called proton beam radiotherapy is beginning
to make it less of a death sentence, according to researchers at Loma
Linda University Medical Center.

Unlike conventional radiation therapy with X-rays, which causes heavy
damage to healthy tissue surrounding the tumor, proton beam therapy
delivers virtually all of its energy to the cancer cells themselves,
increasing the likelihood of a cure and sharply reducing side effects.

"I think it's remarkable when I see patients . . . who are incredibly
ill [with emphysema] and we can give them something that doesn't make it
worse," said Dr. David Bush, head investigator of the study. "Many
times, the surgeon has told them they can't do anything, and we've got a
treatment here that may work. They are obviously pretty happy about it."
<http://www.latimes.com/news/science/science/20000727/t000070412.html>
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Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 S Illinois Ave, Ste 208, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Phone (865) 483-1333; Fax (865) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net 
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