Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Literatus: Sound strategy for cancer By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T. Breakthroughs
“A SOUND mind in a sound body,” John Locke wrote in his work, Second Treatise on Civil Government. And yet 17th century medical science and technology could not have predicted that sound literally can make a sound body, or at least help stop the flourishing of cancer cells.
This is what five researchers, led by David Melodelima, found out. Melodelima works at Inserm, a research institute in Lyon , France , and at the Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Cancers of the Cochin Hospital in Paris .
The study is a first trial involving a very small number of four subjects with adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma (QCC) of the esophagus.
An adenocarcinoma is a malignant tumor in a gland, in this case, the thyroid gland. A QCC is a common type of cancer that develops on the surface cells of the skin or tissues covering the linings of hollow organs of the body.
The equipment used was a brass applicator with rounded head. The ultrasound emitter operates at 10.4 MHz. Follow-up was through esophagoscopy with biopsies. Ultrasound was applied for an average of 37 minutes.
In a report published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, Melodelima observed: “Objective tumor response was obtained in all cases. All patients recovered uneventfully and dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing food) improved significantly within 15 days.” Three of the four patients resumed a solid diet in two weeks.
Esophageal tumors, which develop inside the hollow portion of the esophagus, is very difficult to treat by physical instruments for two reasons: they occur in certain sectors and their thickness vary from 3 to 5 mm.
Its location requires a less invasive local treatment that can immediately, deeply, and completely destroy cancer tissues. But this is possible only if detected in their earliest stage. And these tumors are often detected only when they are already in their advanced stage.
Chemotherapy or radiochemotherapy (or both) has not been observed to give any survival advantage so far.
High intensity ultrasound treatment can provide that minimally invasive treatment requirement.
“A sound mind in a sound body is the most useful instrument wherewith to serve God,” wrote Catholic saint, Ignatius of Loyal, the founding father of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in a letter to Francis Borgia.
