TEHRAN, April 4, YJC - American scientists have introduced a wearable device that makes electric fields capable of increasing the lifespan of people diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer.
TEHRAN,
Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The device is called the Optune therapy cap. It contains
strips of electrodes connected by wires to a small generator kept in a bag.
They create low intensity electric fields that disrupt cell reproduction.
This helps make the cells die. Patients have to keep their heads shaved to
wear the cap for 18 hours a day. Researchers say their studies show the new
therapy can extend patients' lives, although it is no cure.
Medics say the new method, in combination with chemotherapy, can increase
the survival rate of brain cancer patients. Pilot tests are also underway for other
cancers, such as pancreatic tumors.