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Xiao Wang is a 30-year-old young man who has a happy family and a stable job. His life was rosy, until one day, he found himself with a hard lump in his right abdomen, and it was getting bigger.
He went to the hospital for a check-up, and the results surprised him: he had liver cancer, and the tumor had reached 4cm. The doctor told him that surgical removal was the most effective treatment in this case, but there were also great risks and side effects.
Xiao Wang couldn't believe his ears, how could he get such a serious illness? Unwilling to give up treatment, he began looking for other possible treatment options. Eventually, Wang discovered a technique called "tumor ablation." What does this "tumor ablation" technology look like? What kind of principle is it?
First, the invention process of tumor ablation technology
Tumor ablation technology is not a new concept, and its origins can be traced back to the last century. As early as the 1950s, there were attempts to treat tumors with high-frequency electric currents, a method known as electrocoagulation.
However, due to the limited level of technology at that time, the effect of electrocoagulation was not ideal, and it was easy to cause complications such as tissue damage and infection. With the advancement of science and technology, people began to explore other energy sources, such as radio frequency, microwave, laser, ultrasound, cryography, etc., to achieve local heating or cooling of tumors, so as to achieve the purpose of ablation.
These methods all fall under the category of tumor ablation technology, but the energy source used and the delivery method are different. The development of tumor ablation technology has gone through several stages. The first stage was from the 1950s to the 1980s, and this stage was mainly the exploration and application of electrocoagulation technology, mainly used for the treatment of solid tumors such as liver cancer.
The second stage is from the 1980s to the early 2000s, this stage is mainly the rise and popularization of radiofrequency ablation technology, radiofrequency ablation technology has higher efficiency and safety than electrocoagulation technology, and can treat more kinds of tumors, such as kidney cancer, lung cancer, bone cancer, etc.
The third stage is from the early 2000s to the present, this stage is mainly the development and innovation of other energy source ablation technologies, such as microwave ablation, laser ablation, ultrasonic ablation, cryoablation, etc., these technologies have their own advantages and characteristics, and can be combined with imaging navigation systems and computer-aided systems to improve the accuracy and controllability of ablation.
The invention of tumor ablation technology is a history of human struggle against cancer, which has witnessed the exertion of human wisdom and creativity, and also reflects the progress and innovation of medical technology. So how does tumor ablation work? What are its principles and advantages? Let's move on.
Second, the working principle and advantages of tumor ablation technology
The working principle of tumor ablation technology is actually very simple, that is, the use of different energy sources to heat or cool the tumor tissue locally, so that its temperature reaches a lethal point (usually between 50°-100°), resulting in tumor cell necrosis or apoptosis.
This method can act directly on the tumor tissue without affecting the surrounding normal tissue, and does not cause systemic reactions or complications. The main advantages of tumor ablation technology are as follows:
(1) High efficiency. Tumor ablation technology can complete treatment in a short time (usually within 30 minutes), and the tumor can be completely destroyed in one treatment, and there is no need for multiple re-examinations or re-treatment. The effective rate of tumor ablation technology is generally more than 90%, and can even reach 100%.
(2) Security. Tumor ablation is a minimally invasive treatment that requires only a small hole in the skin and then a steel needle inserted inside the tumor, without the need to cut the skin or remove the tissue.
This avoids complications such as bleeding, infection, scarring, and also reduces postoperative recovery time and hospital stay. Tumor ablation technology can also be combined with imaging navigation systems and computer-aided systems to improve the accuracy and controllability of ablation, reducing the risk of accidental injury and complications.
(3) Wide range of indications. Tumor ablation technology can treat tumors of many types and locations, such as liver cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, bone cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, etc.
Moreover, tumor ablation technology also has good results for some tumors that are difficult to be surgically removed or are not suitable for surgical resection, such as tumors located in deep parts or near important organs, or patients with elderly people, frail people, and other diseases.
(4) Small trauma. Tumor ablation technology is a local treatment method, which does not affect the normal life and work of the patient, nor does it affect the appearance and image of the patient. After receiving treatment, patients only need a simple rest and observation to return to normal. Moreover, tumor ablation technology can also stimulate the body's immune system, thereby inhibiting tumor recurrence and metastasis.
In summary, tumor ablation technology is an efficient, safe, widely indicated and less invasive treatment method, which has brought new hopes and choices to countless patients.
Third, the application prospect and challenges of tumor ablation technology
Although tumor ablation technology has made a lot of achievements and progress, it is not a perfect treatment, and it also faces some application prospects and challenges. These application prospects and challenges are mainly as follows:
(1) Scope of application. Tumor ablation technology is currently mainly used to treat solid tumors, and for some blood tumors or diffuse tumors, such as leukemia, lymphoma, gastric cancer, etc., tumor ablation technology does not have a good solution.
This is because the distribution of these tumors is uneven, it is difficult to determine the target and extent of ablation, and it is easy to cause damage to normal tissues or miss residual tumor cells. Therefore, tumor ablation technology needs to be effectively combined or sequential with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, etc., to improve the cure rate and survival rate.
(2) Technical level. Although tumor ablation technology has been developed for decades, it is not yet a mature technology, and it still has many shortcomings and defects. For example, different energy sources have different physical properties and biological effects, such as temperature distribution, energy density, tissue impedance, blood perfusion, etc., which will affect the effect and safety of ablation.
Moreover, different tumors have different morphology, location, size, density, blood supply, etc., which will affect the difficulty and complexity of ablation. Therefore, tumor ablation technology needs to be individualized and optimized according to different energy sources and different tumors to achieve the best ablation effect.
(3) Doctor level. Tumor ablation technology is a technology that highly depends on the level and experience of doctors, which requires doctors to have good anatomical knowledge, imaging recognition ability, operation skills and judgment ability.
According to the patient's condition and the characteristics of the tumor, doctors need to select the appropriate energy source, steel needle type, needle tip position, energy output, ablation time and other parameters, monitor the temperature change, tissue reaction, complications and other conditions during the ablation process in real time, and make timely adjustments or treatments. If the doctor is not skilled enough or inexperienced, it may lead to poor ablation or serious complications.
(4) Social cognition. Although tumor ablation technology has been widely used in clinical practice and has achieved good results, it has not been sufficiently recognized and popularized in society.
Many patients and the public also have some misconceptions and prejudices about tumor ablation technology, such as thinking that it is an experimental or informal treatment, or that it is a dangerous or painful treatment, or that it is an expensive or unreliable treatment.
These misconceptions and biases can affect patient selection and acceptance, as well as physician recommendations and recommendations. Tumor ablation technology needs to improve social awareness and trust through popular science education, media publicity, patient sharing, etc., so that more patients can enjoy this advanced treatment.
epilogue
Tumor ablation technology is a treatment that uses different energy sources to heat or cool tumor tissue locally, causing its temperature to reach a lethal point, resulting in tumor cell necrosis or apoptosis. It has the advantages of high efficiency, safety, wide indications and small trauma, and has brought new hopes and choices to countless patients.
However, tumor ablation technology also faces some application prospects and challenges, such as application scope, technical level, doctor level, social cognition, etc., which require our continuous efforts and improvement to make tumor ablation technology better serve human health and happiness.