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Running head: MEDICINE REVOLUTIONIZED Medicine Revolutionized Marvin Kajy Wayne State University 1 MEDICINE REVOLUTIONIZED 2 Abstract MEDICINE REVOLUTIONIZED 3 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.