New tumour ablation technique ‘could provide cancer immunity’

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created a new tumour ablation technique that could offer a greater chance of providing long-term resistance to cancer.

Researchers from the institution have developed a small radioactive wire that can be placed inside a tumour, giving off lethal atoms that destroy the cancerous growth from the inside out.

Not only does this eliminate cancer cells more effectively than would be possible via surgery, but the breakdown also causes the release of antigens that trigger an immune response against the disease.

The principle has been successfully trialled among mouse models, with experiments showing the effectiveness of the technique against a wide range of cancers, including lung, pancreatic, colon, breast and brain tumours.

Professor Itzhak Kelson of the university's department of physics and astronomy said: "It's like a cluster bomb – instead of detonating at one point, the atoms continuously disperse and emit alpha particles at increasing distances."

This comes in the same week that Cancer Research UK published new findings showing that lifestyle and environment are responsible for more than a third of all UK cancer cases.