Page 21 - InsideOut Magazine

Rising Colon and Rectal Cancer in Young U.S. Adults Although overall rates of colon and rectal cancers have dropped in the
U.S. since 1998, the inci- dence of these cancers are increasing in U.S. men and women between the ages of 20 and 35.
This is astonishing to many physi- cians, because colorectal cancers typically affect older populations.
JAMA Surgery reported inves- tigators compared large popula- tion data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to evaluate age-related disparities in colorectal cancer rates. SEER data indicated the median age for colorectal cancers
as 68 and, between 1975 and 2010, there was a steady decline of inci- dence in patients 50 years and older.
Yet for patients 20 to 35 years of age, the incidence rates of localized, regional and distant colon and rectal cancers increased between 1975 and 2010. An increasing incidence rate of rectal cancer was also observed in patients between ages 35 to 40 years over the same time period.
Based on current trends, by 2030, the incidence rates for colon cancer in patients between ages 20 to 35 years old will increase 90 percent, and the incidence of rectal cancer will increase 124 percent. Incident rates in patients between 35 to 49 years old will rise 28 percent for colon cancer, and increase 46 percent for rectal cancer.
Researchers believe
the results indicate the
need for more studies to
determine the cause for
the increased incidence in younger adults and decreased incidence in older adults, and further identify potential preventive and early detec- tion strategies.
Source: JAMA Surgery, Increasing Disparities in the Age-Related Incidences of Colon and Rectal Cancers in the United States, 1975- 2010, November 4, 2014, accessed December 2014 at archsurg.jamanetwork.com.
3-D Microbots Target Drug Delivery
Microscopic robots that work inside the body to transport and deliver targeted therapeutics are currently in development from two Swiss engineering professors. Even more astonishing, the microbots were created using a 3-D printer.
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich scientists Bradley Nelson, a professor of robotics and intelligent systems, and Christofer Hierold, a professor of micro and nanosystems, said they developed the microbots to improve minimally invasive surgery, targeted drug delivery, remote sensing and single cell manipulation.
Using an additive manufacturing technique, the scientists created the microbots, or micro-actuators, using a 3-D printer. Magnetic nanopar- ticles were inserted into an epoxy resin and a laser beam moved repeatedly in a three-dimensional
pattern, which through magnetizing, curing and building, allowed the sci- entist to produce helical structures 60 micrometers in length and nine micrometers in diameter. The design allows the microscopic actuators to swim consistently — without veer- ing off course — and allows digital maneuvering.
Due to developing a material and fabrication technique, the scien- tists were able to create variations, which gave them the flexibility to modify the microbots into spirals and twisted shapes, as well as double-twisted wires. These shapes are the same size but have an exponentially larger surface, which means they could carry more medication to a targeted, internal source of the body.
Source: Bridget Butler Millsaps, Microscopic 3D Printing May Allow Micro-Robots to Deliver Medicine Inside Your Body, November 19, 2014, accessed December 2014 at 3dprint.com
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