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New Research Shows Potential Technology for Cancer Therapy

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Cancer has been one of human history's most complex and dangerous conditions. While we have eradicated viruses and cured the once thought incurable conditions, nothing seems to have made the formula for stopping these unwarranted mutations and cell-eating diseases. Although, hope is not lost, as we have promising technologies and concepts that can shape the future of healthcare. 

This article will discuss recent developments in cancer studies over the past year or so. While they are concepts, they provide a potential future where cancer therapy can be inexpensive, painless and available for everyone worldwide. 

Understanding the expensive endeavor of cancer therapy

Cancer has been a leading cause of death over the past few centuries. While many sources and articles indicate much information about how cancer is formed and prevented, we have yet to ultimately determine an accurate method or treatment plan to eradicate cancer outside known methods.

To offer you a perspective, a typical cancer patient may need to undergo four times a year from chemotherapy treatments and a monthly drug cost of $100,000 or more for injectables. Causing significant mental and financial stress to many families regardless of socio-economic status.  

Fortunately, pharmacies and the medical industry have been pushing to lower drug prices for cancer pain management drugs. Drugs like Ondansetron have available Ondansetron HCL Savings Offer options in most online pharmacies that families can take advantage of to offer a short relief in this endeavor. That said, we hope the new developments below can shed a brighter light on the battle against cancer.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)

Based on a 2022 study from Professor Haijun Zhang of Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, anti-cancer treatment in years has remained unchanged, with 32% of cancer patients undergoing undertreated methods with pertinent side effects. 

Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) has successfully treated non-cancer pain. Still, it has shown promise to provide that same effect to localized cancer-induced pain in one of their pilot studies. Zhang determines that incorporating interventional techniques with PNS can optimize the current treatment methods and improve outcomes in cancer pain management. 

CRISPR

In the past, scientists have never thought that editing your gene would take place in reality. But now, that has become a possibility through the conception of a gene editing tool named CRISPR. Short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats of genetic information, CRISPR is made from a side project in which they study how bacteria can fight viruses. 

With CRISPR in its early stages of development, researchers see the possibility of entering the complex world of genetics and being able to remove, splice, edit and add new genetic material that can remove or prevent cancer cells from emerging.

After its breakthrough in 2020 in cancer immunotherapy, there has been an explosion of new studies and tests to see the total capacity of CRISPR and develop new applications for health, technology and biology. While it is a significant game changer for the world, there are still limitations and debates, especially on the ethical side of gene editing. Nevertheless, CRISPR has paved the path for many researchers to explore genetics and find a viable cure for cancer.

Empowered telehealth services

Outside of new inventions and concepts, the fight against cancer is often improved by innovations from existing healthcare programs. 

Take telehealth, for example. Since the rise and fall of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic, many industries, such as healthcare, have shifted to digital platforms to continue their service. This decision ultimately gave rise to the telehealth industry or remote health service.

Cancer research organizations like NCORP have taken steps to expand health practices at a virtual pace to provide cancer patients treatment and care regardless of distance. Telehealth also opens up new opportunities for cancer research and clinical tests to cover a broader and more diverse group of patients worldwide. 

This telehealth or remote healthcare system has undoubtedly improved the quality of healthcare. But still, it contains challenges for service, especially for those who need in-hospital visits. Nevertheless, it's an endeavor that dedicated researchers fight to address them.

Robotic surgery

Using robots to do complex surgical tasks sounds far from the future until we make it real. A quick and pain-free recovery is what all cancer patients want. And with emerging companies manufacturing and testing such robots in the field, healthcare improves.

Robot surgeries work by assisting doctors in making minimally invasive, sensitive cuts that can't be achieved with human hands. In the context of cancer, doctors now have a higher chance of removing complicated tumors between nerves or critical organs without side effects through small but deadly accurate incisions only a robot can calculate and perform.

Final Thoughts

Cancer remains the most feared condition worldwide. And through these breakthroughs, we have a real chance of lowering death rates and costs of cancer therapy. 

The future is bright on this one, and as cancer survivor Tamron Little would say, "I believe with the forward direction technology and computers are heading, computer advancement could make a great impact on cancer rate."

What technologies are being used to fight cancer? Where can I find help with cancer treatment options? Healthcare, Health, Technology, What is CRISPR and how can I use it to fight cancer? What is peripheral nerve stimulation and how does it work with cancer?

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