May 1, 2007
Singapore -- A Singapore-developed treatment is undergoing testing in patients with pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive types of the disease, a team of researchers said on Wednesday.
The treatment involves injecting drug-infused biodegradable silicon straight into a tumor, said Associate Professor Pierce Chow at Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
In the liver cancer trials, tumors as large as 3 centimetres shrank or, in some cases, disappeared.
SGH was among a handful to hospitals approached to see if they could find a medical use for BrachySil, a biodegradable silicon developed by the British defence ministry, The Straits Times said.
Chow and his team "infuse it with cancer-killing radioactive particles," the report said. The tiny silicon chip is then ground into a paste and injected into the middle of a tumor.
"The radioactive material slowly bombards the tumor, killing the malignant cells," the report said.
Both liver and pancreatic cancers tend to resurface, but Chow said the treatment can prolong the lives of patients and reduce the amount of pain.
Chow said surgery is still the treatment of choice for patients with liver or pancreatic cancers, but many of the cancers are inoperable.
Only one in five pancreatic cancers can be surgically removed because the cancer is at a very late stage and has spread beyond the pancreas, or its position is too close to major blood vessels.
The doctors are hoping that BrachySil, which has few side effects and is easily administered, can also reduce the amount of pain.
Copyright 2007 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
