Gold And The Anti-cancer Treatment

Today, scientists are struggling to find new ways of developing and improving anti-cancer treatments. Gold is used so far n the treatment of prostatic cancer. The position of the prostate during the treatment is detected with the help of small amounts of gold. Because of the density of gold and the fact that it is opaque to X-rays, this precious material is very useful and accurate in this kind of treatment. With its help the tumor area can be targeted better and the radiation dose is more precise.

Gold complexes for the making of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer have recently been patented by the researchers from the National University of Singapore. They have managed to discover that phosphine supports gold complexes and has an anti-tumor activity.

The healthy tissue is not affected by the drugs used in the anti- cancer treatment because the nanoparticles have the ability to go directly to the tumor and so, the healthy tissue is not affected. This particularity was very helpful in the development of some new technologies.

For a very long time gold has been used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and dental restoration. The blood stream helps the nanoparticles with the anti-cancer drugs to be delivered to the tumor infected area. Nanoshells are the discovery of a US company.

These nanoshells are small particles of gold that are wrapped around silica and that are injected in the body. The nanoshells accumulate in the tumor infected area and they are then illuminated by an infrared beam. They help to destroy the tumor because they absorb the light of the beam. This type of treatment will be used in neck and head cancer and because it was proven to be so effective it is now pending Federal Drug Administration.