• Question: How do lasers actually slow down cancer growth

    Asked by tigerowl4 to Mike, Pip, Tianfu, Tim, Tom on 2 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Philippa Bird

      Philippa Bird answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      Usually we don’t use laser to slow down cancer growth, we use lasers to learn things about cancer.
      But, in radiotherapy the radiation interferes with the DNA and causes the cells to die. You target where it is focussed so you don’t hurt the healthy cells around the tumour.

    • Photo: Tom Lister

      Tom Lister answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      If you fire a laser at a cancer, you can kill a lot of it, which would slow it down. This is mostly done in Photodynamic therapy, although they are actually aiming to kill of the entire cancer rather than slow it down.

    • Photo: Tim Stephens

      Tim Stephens answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      Thanks Pip and Tom.

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