A step closer to treating oral cancer without surgery

Researchers in Mumbai have moved a step closer to treating surface tumours such as oral, breast and cervical cancer and other tumours such melanoma and colon cancer through photothermal ablation using gold-polymer nanoparticles and near infrared light. “The polymer shrinks and disintegrates when ablated and releases the drug efficiently.” “We are pretty confident that the heat generated by the gold-polymer nanoparticles alone is sufficient to kill the cancer cells. “If phototherapy alone is not 100% efficient then we can load the polymer nanoparticle with a drug to kill cancer cells,” says Prof. Srivastava. Since the hybrid nanoparticles absorb light and can automatically reach the cancer cells when injected into blood, they can also be used as a contrast medium.