by Scootzsx

How Radiofrequency Ablation Treating Cancer?

Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) is a relatively new therapy for cancer in which tumors are destroyed using heat energy. A needle is placed through the skin and into the tumor. A radiofrequency is sent through the needle which heats and destroys the tumor. This procedure is performed under conscious sedation and most patients can go home the same day.

Two superficial subcutaneous metastatic nodules were treated with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation. The patient received significant pain relief and improved quality of life.

RF ablation is a minimally invasive method used to treat multiple types of cancers. RF ablation is ideal for treating multiple tumors of the liver and lung and for relieving the pain of those with metastatic bone lesions. RF ablation is ideal for patients that have too many lesions for surgical removal or who are poor surgical candidates because of other coexisting medical conditions.

Cancer-associated pain is often the most debilitating aspect of malignant disease. Because of the lack of effective treatment options, it is a difficult clinical problem to manage. Treatment of pain from metastatic disease is often palliative in nature and is often limited in effectiveness.

Radiofrequency ablation has been studied in recent years for the treatment and eradication of focal tumors.9 Radiofrequency has long been used to treat painful disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia or osteoid osteoma.

There are many advantages of Radio Frequency Ablation over an open surgical procedure. Patients with multiple lung lesions are often unable to be treated with surgery because too much healthy lung tissue would have to be removed in order to rid the patient of all of the cancerous tissue. Radiofrequency ablation can be used to destroy the tumor while the remainder of the lung is spared. This means that patients can have multiple tumors in both lungs and can still be successfully treated with RF ablation. The same idea also holds true for liver lesions. The other advantage is that RF ablation can be performed multiple times on different occasions. It is very devastating when a tumor recurs after surgical resection. Recurrence after surgery may require another large surgery or may signal the end of the patient’s battle with the cancer. RF ablation can be easily performed to treat recurrent tumors.

Recent developments in the technology and techniques of ablation as well as in image guidance have allowed application of this treatment to other portions of the body. The use of thermal therapy to induce coagulation necrosis is being explored in a host of tumor types for cure, debunking, and palliation.

Determine the effectiveness of Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA), in terms of amount of
tumor coagulated and viable cell count, in patients with early invasive breast cancer
or low- or intermediate-grade ductal carcinoma in situ.

Determine the size, configuration, and pathological features of human breast tumors after treatment with RFA.
Determine whether RFA energy applied to breast cancer will result in cancer cell death.
Determine whether tumor-free margins are achieved by RFA in these patients.
Determine the rate of acute toxicities to skin after surgery in patients treated with
this regimen.

Surgical resection of RFA area: After RFA is completed, the electrode is removed and
patients undergo wide local excision of the residual tumor or mastectomy. Discover how RFA is being used to treat to different cancers.

This is what Lung Cancer looks like on the outside. My father Edward Bailey did not smoke.

Related Cancer Articles

The news that someone close to us or someone particularly famous has been diagnosed with a malignant disease, may cause us to pause for thought. When this happens we often stop to think that, when it comes to cancer, the odds are pretty much stacked against us and that it is only a matter of time before we have to confront that "suspicious" lump or a sinister shadow on the X-ray plate.

These thoughts are not really surprising considering the large number of different cancers that have the potential to invade our bodies – common cancers such as those of the breast, prostate, colon, lung as well as the not so common cancers such as leukemia and thyroid cancer.

If we are wise we will be making an effort to reduce our cancer risk by eating sensibly, not smoking, reducing our alcohol intake and by exercising regularly. What we should also be doing, according to a growing body of research, is eating more foods containing the natural compound apigenin.

SOURCES OF APIGENIN

Apigenin is an antioxidant flavonoid found in herbs, spices and other food plants. Examples of foods that contain apigenin are the herbs and spices, coriander, licorice, marjoram, parsley, oregano, rosemary and tarragon. Other foods such a citrus, tea, celery and wheat also contain significant quantities of this yellow cancer fighting compound.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Although most of the research into this compound has been confined to the laboratory, scientists studying apigenin have discovered that it exhibits several different mechanisms that all work to counter the complex factors underlying cancer cell growth.

As well as interfering with a number of cancer signaling processes, apigenin also inhibits the growth of new blood vessels that malignant cells need to grow and proliferate.

HER2 BREAST CANCER GENE

As far as breast cancer is concerned, it also inhibits the expression of the HER2/neu gene. Woman who carry HER2/neu are much more susceptible to an aggressive, treatment-resistant form of cancer for which, until recently, there was no effective treatment.

Apigenin has been shown to suppress the activity of this gene and, in this regard it joins its fellow green tea based flavonoid, epigallocatechin-gallate as a potent preventive agent in those unfortunate to inherit the HER2/neu gene.

CANCERS SUSCEPTIBLE TO APIGENIN

To date apigenin has been found to inhibit the following cancer cell lines: breast, prostate, lung, leukemia, colon, ovary, skin and thyroid – malignancies that account for the vast majority of cancers to which most of us fear falling prey.

PREVENTION RATHER THAN CURE

It will be a long time before research is done into the use of apigenin in the TREATMENT of these malignancies.

And, on a cautionary note, there is also some evidence that high doses of apigenin may actually interfere with one or two chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of leukemia.

In other words a higher dosage of a useful anti-cancer phytonutrient is not always better than the lower dosages that are effective in preventing the onset of the disease.

EAT MORE SPICES

Instead of waiting for that to happen we should be more proactive and eat foods that contain this important phytonutrient.

A regular intake of herbs and spices such as coriander (cilantro), licorice, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme (as well as other foods such as whole wheat, celery, tea and citrus) should provide protective amounts of apigenin.

Moreover, these and other spices supply many other compounds that have proven cancer inhibiting capabilities.

Keith Scott is a medical doctor with an interest in the healing properties of herbs and spices. He has written several books including “Medicinal Seasonings, The Healing Power of Spices”. Download a free pdf copy of “Medicinal Seasonings” and read more about the health benefits of spices at: => http://www.medicinal-herbs-and-spices.com Watch the VIDEO: Spices – A Health Mystery Solved => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqIM6QB3wt4

Article Source: ArticleSpan