E-Paper
New cancer treatment drains fluids
A new implant could transform cancer treatment by removing the dangerous build-up of fluid caused by many cancers in the body of patient.
A new implant could transform cancer treatment by removing the dangerous build-up of fluid caused by many cancers in the body of patient.
Cancer cells secrete a fluid called ascites causing acute discomfort and the process of having litres of fluid drained out at hospitals can take several days.
The pump drains the dangerous build-up into the bladder, to be expelled naturally through the urinary tract. A British woman with ovarian cancer became the first to have the pump implanted under her skin at the Hammersmith Hospital in London.
The unnamed 62-year-old is said to have been in great discomfort, requiring five litres of fluid being drained from her abdomen every three weeks, the Daily Mail reports.
About a third of women with ovarian cancer develop ascites, a build-up of fluid in the abdomen. Cancers of the bowel, pancreas, uterus and breast can also cause the problem.
