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Radiofrequency Ablation for cancer?
Q:This is a technique where radiowaves are used to destroy cancerous tumors and leave nothing but scar tissue behind. I’m wondering about how effective this is at prolonging life or even turning cancer into a chronic illness. I’ve read about lung cancer patients near death surviving much longer with this treatment. of course it can’t cure cancer but if tumors can be destroyed as soon as they’re discovered then wouldn’t a cancer patient theoreticly be able to live to old age by managing their condition? Is there another side to this treatment that I’m not aware of? Thank you.
More Answers to “Radiofrequency Ablation for cancer?“
There are currently limitations for this type of treatment. It seems to work best on small tumors and nodules that are evenly shaped. One of the reasons for this is that a thin wire is threaded into the tumor and than the waves that destroy the tumor will emanate outwards in an even wave. If the tumor is oddly shaped than it is possible that those cancer cells won’t be destroyed and can spred.So, while RFA is an exciting modality, it is not suitable for all types of cancers or all patients. Much will depend upon location, number of tumors, stage, and size of the tumors to be ablated. It’s worth investigating. I read the same story at www.rd.comThe are some more web-site out there:www.americanheart.org/presente.www.sirweb.org/patPub/radiofre.www.mayoclinic.org/radiofreque.www.livertransplant.org/radiof. www.medicinenet.com/radiofrequ.