Cancer. Even the word is scary. More and more of us are feeling the touch of cancer in our circle of family and friends, and its impact can be devastating. Cancer not only ravishes the body, but the treatment for it is in some cases more painful than the cancer itself. Chemotherapy is still one of the most common cancer treatments, and the multiple intravenous treatments can leave patients fragile, with nausea, fatigue, and hair loss being the norm.

Treatment is looking up though. Localized treatment is now being researched, to help banish the all-over pain and discomfort that chemotherapy brings. At John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, surgeons are currently practicing a quick-freeze method for cancer treatment. Used mainly on kidney tumors, surgeons thread a small probe into the grouping of cancer cells. They then quickly freeze these cells via the probe, tracking their progress on a CT scan. The procedure is a quick one, and most patients leave the hospital that day. In France, the opposite approach is being taken. Doctors are using radiofrequency energy to heat up cancer cells via a probe. The recovery time is approximately two days, and the method is very similar to have a tumor microwaved.

These new advancements in cancer technology excite me. My grandfather is a three time survivor of cancer, and the repeated chemotherapy wreaked havoc on his body. Now, a few years later, he is left with nerve damage, sleepless nights, and restless legs, but he has survived it all. My only wish is that other patients are spared the pain of chemotherapy thanks to these new methods. I hope to see this research develop into something truly grand soon.