Download Running head: MEDICINE REVOLUTIONIZED

Running head: MEDICINE REVOLUTIONIZED
Medicine Revolutionized
Marvin Kajy
Wayne State University
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MEDICINE REVOLUTIONIZED
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Abstract
MEDICINE REVOLUTIONIZED
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Knowledge gained about both the human body and the mechanisms by which many
diseases work, has enabled physicians to treat a wide array of illnesses and perform medical
procedures that were once thought unimaginable. Unfortunately, many diseases remain without a
cure, simply because existing treatment options are not sufficient to treat the disease effectively.
One such disease that is still without a definite cure and continues to claim many people’s lives
is lung cancer. Over the past decades, various treatments emerged in an attempt to counter this
ailment. Although these cancer treatments are very effective for improving survival, they are
toxic in numerous ways and they produce both negative physiologic and psychological effects in
the patient (Schmitz et al. 2005).
This is when a new branch of medicine emerged, called nanomedicine, whose proponents
argue that it will revolutionize the way the medical field will administer medications. Gasman
(2006) stated that with the help of microscopic robots, called nanobots or nanoparticles, doctors
will have the ability to administer drugs to specific locations within the body, which will
minimize unwanted side effects and patient suffering. However, Langwith (2009) argues that
these nanobots are so small, that they will be able to enter cells easily, which raises the concern
that retention of these molecules might cause unintentional harm to very sensitive tissues and
there is also the general concern that these microscopic particles will replicate uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Chan (2006) stated that there is very little known about the toxicology effects of
these microscopic particles once they are inside the human body and the components that make
up these nanobots are actually highly toxic. Despite all these criticisms, Kawasaki and Player
(2005) stress that there is a great need for a new generation of more effective therapies for cancer
and they believe that with the help of nanomedicine, new drug delivery systems will be
developed that will finally be effective against this deadly disease. In summary, a drug delivery
system powered by nanobots will give doctors the ability to effectively target specific tumor cells
without affecting other body processes. This will virtually eliminate harmful side effects and thus
patient suffering.
Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in the tissues of the lungs. If this
uncontrolled cell growth persists, then a tumor forms, which often times looks like a swelling.
According to Stöppler and Marks (2010), lung cancer could exist in two forms known as Nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Often times, NSCLC led to
benign tumors, which were tumors that can usually be removed and did not spread to other parts
of the body. However, SCLC caused malignant tumors that grew aggressively and invaded other
tissues of the body. The spreading of tumor cells throughout the body is called metastasis and
this process occurs through the person’s circulatory and lymphatic systems. Johnston (2001)
stated that after a person was diagnosed with lung cancer, the type of lung cancer was then
determined by analyzing how far it has spread, called stage and how aggressive it was, called
grade. After analyzing these two pieces of information, a doctor can then determine what the best
treatment options are. Statistics have shown that about one third of lung cancer patients were
diagnosed a tumor that has not spread yet. This can be treated with surgery, in an attempt to
eliminate the cancer. The other two thirds have cases in which the tumor has already spread
throughout the body. In this case, a combination of radiotherapy along with chemotherapy and
sometimes surgery may be used (www.radiologyinfo.org).
When the lung cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the primary treatment option would
then be to surgically remove the tumor, which is also called surgical resection. Specifically, the
goal of surgically removing a tumor is to totally eliminate the cancer cells, rather than to relieve
symptoms as in the other two treatment methods. Nevertheless, this medical procedure is very
invasive because actual lung tissue is removed, which often times makes the recovery process
difficult. Furthermore, there are times in which the patient does not qualify because one of the
major requirements of the surgical procedure is that the patient has to be in good health.
Unfortunately, lung cancers tend to develop in smokers over the age of 50 who already suffer
from a series of medical conditions that increase the risk of surgery significantly. Even after the
surgery is performed, there is still the possibility that the cancer might come back because there
is a possibility that a few cancer cells remained after the procedure. In this case another surgery
has to be performed in which more lung tissue has to be removed. Moreover, a complication that
a doctor might face when doing this procedure is the surgeon might be unable to remove the
tumor just because of its size or location. One can see that this treatment method is not able to
treat cancer that is at a later stage and for a patient to actually to undergo the procedure; s/he has
to meet various health standards, which is very though for someone suffering from lung cancer.
If a patient does not meet the necessary qualifications for surgery, then the next best
treatment option that is available for him/her to undergo is radiotherapy. This treatment method
can also be used with a combination of other treatment methods, such as surgery or
chemotherapy. For example, it can be used before surgery to shrink the tumor or it can be used
after surgery to eliminate any cancer cells that remain after the tumor is removed. The way
radiotherapy is administered can be categorized in two broad groups known as external
radiotherapy and internal radiotherapy. Both groups use high-energy x-rays that interfere with
the growth and replication of cancer cells by changing the structure of the cancer cell’s DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid). Even though radiotherapy is intended and designed to maximize
damage to tumors, it can also cause damage to normal cells, especially those that are in the path
of the radiation beam. Although, different patients respond to radiation therapy differently, many
of them develop serious side effects, which can range from fatigue to development of scar tissue
in the lung. Even after the cancer is completely gone, there is still possibility that it might come
back due to the cancer causing effects from the radiation from the actual treatment. It is evident
that even though radiotherapy can eliminate cancer, it does cause many dangerous side effects
that seriously affect a patient’s health.
Another treatment method that is especially used for tumors that have already spread
throughout the body is called chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of chemical agents
to kill cancer cells, which can be administered through an injection or orally. It works by
destroying rapidly dividing cells and since cancer cells divide more rapidly than normal cells,
they are especially vulnerable to this treatment. Unfortunately, this treatment method cannot tell
the difference between a cancer cell and healthy cell. So chemotherapy eliminates not only the
fast-growing cancer cells but also other fast-growing healthy cells in your body, such as hair and
blood cells. This causes many undesirable side effects such as low blood cell count, nausea,
vomiting et cetera. One can see that even though chemotherapy does treat lung cancer, it does
cause other complications that are really harmful to one’s health and sometimes they can be so
severe that hospitalization is required.
It is evident that in order for the medical field to effectively cure lung cancer, it has to
shift to a whole new drug delivery system designed by the field of nanomedicine. To illustrate,
most medications are administered either orally or through an injection, which really decreases
their effectiveness. The treatment of lung cancer uses both chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Although these treatments are given to a cancer patient to kill cancer cells, there are
unintentional and sometimes life threatening side effects caused by these drugs.
This is why drug designers today are actively developing ways to reduce side effects as
much as possible and they are viewing the use of nanotechnology as a feasible solution.
Currently, scientists are attempting to design nanobots that can deliver medicines to specific
programmed locations of the body. They are doing this by examining a natural process that
occurs in the body called bioavailability. Bioavailability describes the delivery of healing
molecules in the body where they are needed and will do the most good. Researchers are
studying the process in order to develop a drug delivery system powered by nanobots, which will
allow doctors to regulate when a certain drug is released, in what quantity it is released and at
which specific site in the body. One can see that this procedure virtually eliminates side effects
and thus patient suffering, because now doctors have the ability to deliver the medicine inside the
body without affecting the natural functions of other organs.
The rest of the essay will be devoted to how nanotechnology can improve on existing treatments
and how it will work. Also, I will try to mention the types of drug delivery systems that
nanomedicine has to offer. Then, I will about some of the dangers of these new drug delivery
systems and I will try to disprove any potential myths about them. Lastly, I will try to finish up
the paper by very briefly talking about the methods section. Anticipate at least another two to
three pages more of writing.