Anti-Matter's Potential in Treating Cancer

eldavojohn writes "The BBC is taking a look at how atomic physicists are developing cancer treatments. A step past radiotherapy, the CERN institute is publishing interesting results: 'Cancer cells were successfully targeted with anti-matter subatomic particles, causing intense biological damage leading to cell death.' The press release from last year is finally sparking interest in the medical community."

Comments

Ah yes..

[ravenshrike]

Because setting off miniature broad-spectrum emp blasts inside your body it a GOOD thing.

Re:Ah yes..

[tomhudson]

WEll, they originally thought it would be a huge money-maker by using antimatter to clean teeth - eveyone wants a big white smile. However, trials proved that "tooth is stronger than fiction."

Re:Ah yes..

[captnitro]

You mean, tooth is stronger than fission.

Re:Ah yes..

[jesdynf]

Because setting off miniature broad-spectrum emp blasts inside your body it a GOOD thing.

Yeah, having to reboot all your nanobots is so much worse than dying of cancer. The terrible spectre of EMP is a little less scary when you're already gonna die.

While I'm on the subject, though, cut them some slack. They're using antimatter. Antimatter! As medicine. Antimatter as medicine! This is the most awesome thing I've read this year. I thought nitroglycerin was cool, but this -- what's next? Using Great Old Ones to soothe colicky babies?

Re:Ah yes..

[TeknoHog]

At least good old brushing works, since tooth is stronger than friction.

Re:Ah yes..

[AdamThor]

Because setting off miniature broad-spectrum emp blasts inside your body it a GOOD thing.

For thoses worried about potential health effectses of anti-matter, I likes to present my own alternative research: The Hammer's Potential in Treating the Cancer.

Scientists say 'Cancer cells were successfully targeted with a hammer, causing intense biological damage leading to cell death.'

It works like this - you stands very still, and I hits you in the cancer with hammer.

Newfangled, downtown fancy pants hightech.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds too newfangled and high tech for me.

I'd prefer it if they used they did what they did back in my great-great-grandfather's time: the Shotgun Method
The doctor/vet/farmboy would place the muzzle of the shotgun to the tumour and blast it out. Sure, there's some peripheral damage and blood loss but it's tried and true. Sucks if you use it to treat testicular cancer, but a light 410 load of birdshot, some frozen peas and you'd be back on your feet in 8 months.

But my complete understanding of physics says...

[thomasdz]

That you need Dilithium crystals and a Scottish engineer to make it work effectively.
(either that or you need to reverse the polarity of something or other and channel the output through the main sensor grid) ...or am I mixing up TV with reality again? :-)

TDz.

I call see the ads now

[edwardpickman]

Warp speed cancer treatment!

Re:brilliant

[MisterCookie]

You mean my acid bath treatment isn't a good idea?

Re:What about this?

[grub]

Is anyone else turned off by the idea of putting material in your body that will literally annihilate parts of you?

Like what booze is doing to my liver?

Overdosing Kills

[Dr. Eggman]

Time of Death: 2:30pm

Cause: Drug overdose

Location: A little bit over here,little bit over there, and significant portions missing.

Somewhere in a parallel universe...

[Waffle Iron]

...antimatter beings have just discovered that cancer may be treatable with particles of ordinary matter.

Re:Okay n00b question

[Tablizer]

Can someone please explain what Anti-matter actually is?

It is kind of like negative Mod points. They anialate your Karma.

So how do we administer it?

[EmbeddedJanitor]

Antimatter sucks up anything it touches.

Doctor: "Nurse, please fix me up a syringe full of antimatter!"

Nurse: "Sure thing doc." Goes into store room. Clattering sound...

Doctor: "Now where the hell did she go!"

Re:So how do we administer it?

[MillionthMonkey]

They introduce the antitumor and it annihilates the tumor.

Although they have to be careful not to damage the surrounding tissue. This means avoiding use of antimuscles, anticonnective tissue, antibones, antilivers, and antibrains.

Re:So how do we administer it?

[miyako]

for most people, shouldn't it be "...antibones, antilivers, brains"?

Re:Okay n00b question

[Anonymous Coward]

So if you were to eat pasta after eating antipasto, would they annihilate one another?
*me ducks* ;)

Antimatter Enema

[hirschma]

Colon cancer victims are going to give the command "jettison the warp core" a new meaning...

Re:This wont work.

[bcrowell]

a) Read the article. b) Read the article. c) Read the article. d) Read the article.

Re:Okay n00b question

[Mr. Bad Example]

> [antimatter is] A complete set of mirror image subatomic particles.
 
...each with a tiny, tiny goatee.

Re:brilliant

[MillionthMonkey]

You think you're surprised? I've been spraying myself with positrons every morning for the past five years to look younger!

I Cured Cancer!

[Tablizer]

It just dawned on me: the solution to curing cancer is to cross it with anti-cancer!

Re:brilliant

[Flodis]

You think you're surprised? I've been spraying myself with positrons every morning for the past five years to look younger!

You should've used tachyons.

Re:Okay n00b question

[gtall]

Think of matter as a politician and antimatter as truth. A politician cannot hold truth without being totally annihilated in a orgasm of Klieg lights and profuse sweating.

Gerry