CANCER DETECTION USING NANOTECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancerous
cells are also called malignant cells. Cells are the building blocks of living things.
Cancer grows out of normal cells in the body. Normal cells multiply when the
body needs them, and die when the body doesn't need them. Cancer appears to
occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and cells divide too
quickly. It can also occur when cells forget how to die. There are many causes of
cancers, including
!" #en$ene and other chemicals
%" &rinking e'cess alcohol
(" )nvironmental to'ins, such as certain poisonous mushrooms and a type of
poison that can grow on peanut plants *aflato'ins"
+" )'cessive sunlight e'posure
," -enetic problems
." /besity
0" 1adiation
2" 3iruses
4owever, the cause of many cancers remains unknown. The most common
cause of cancer5related death is lung cancer.
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. &eaths from cancer is
pro6ected to continue rising. It is estimated to have !(.! million deaths in %7(7.
Nanotechnology enables rapid and sensitive detection of cancer. It also
provides therapies that aim directly and selectively at the cancerous cells.
8hortcomings of the present cancer therapies such as risk damage to normal tissues
and incomplete eradication of cancer are eliminated.
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CANCER DETECTION USING NANOTECHNOLOGY
OBJECTIVES
!" To reali$e the importance to eradicate the deadly disease C9NC)1.
%" To understand the shortcomings of present cancer treatment.
(" To understand the importance of Nanotechnology.
+" To understand the mechanism of cancer treatment using nanotechnology.
," To understand the present status of Nanotechnology in Cancer therapy.
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CANCER DETECTION USING NANOTECHNOLOGY
CANCER
Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without
control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts
of the body through the blood and lymph systems.
:ig (.! Normal Cell division and Cancer cell division
Cancer is not 6ust one disease but many diseases. There are more than !77
different types of cancer. ;ost cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in
which they start 5 for e'ample, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer<
cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.
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CANCER DETECTION USING NANOTECHNOLOGY
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Nanotechnology=science and engineering of manipulating matter at the
molecular scale to create devices with novel chemical, physical and biological
properties=has the potential to radically change how we diagnose and treat cancer.
9lthough we have only recently developed the ability to manipulate technologies on
this scale, there has been great progress in moving nano5based cancer therapies
into the clinic and many more are in development.
APPLICATION
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CANCER DETECTION USING NANOTECHNOLOGY
The application of nanotechnology to medicine includes the use of precisely
engineered materials to develop novel therapies and devices that may reduce
to'icity as well as enhance the efficacy and delivery of treatments. 9s a result, the
application of nanotechnology to cancer can lead to many advances in the
prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. The first nanotechnology5based
cancer drugs have passed regulatory scrutiny and are already on the market
including &o'il
>
and 9bra'ane
>
.
Nanotechnology is a powerful tool for combating cancer and is being put to
use in other applications that may reduce pollution, energy consumption,
greenhouse gas emissions, and help prevent diseases. NCI's 9lliance for
Nanotechnology in Cancer is working to ensure that nanotechnologies for cancer
applications are developed responsibly.
There is nothing inherently dangerous about being nanosi$ed. /ur ability to
manipulate ob6ects at the nanoscale has developed relatively recently, but
nanoparticles are as old as the earth. ;any nanoparticles occur naturally *for
e'ample, in volcanic ash and sea spray" and as by5products of human activities
since the 8tone 9ge *nanoparticles are in smoke and soot from fire". There are so
many ambient incidental nanoparticles, in fact, that one of the challenges of
nanoparticle e'posure studies is that background incidental nanoparticles are often
at order5of5magnitude higher levels than the engineered particles being evaluated.
9s with any new technology, the safety of nanotechnology is continuously
being tested. The small si$e, high reactivity, and unique tensile and magnetic
properties of nanomaterials=the same properties that drive interest in their
biomedical and industrial applications=have raised concerns about implications for
the environment, health, and safety *)48".
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