Space technology brings boon to tumor patients

Along with the “Shenzhou VII” in the sky, many space technology has been applied to high-end medical surgery has been known. For example, the technology used to ensure that astronauts breathe clean air is now also used in hospitals to kill bacteria and viruses; the Ar-He knife, which simulates space rocket guidance technology, can precisely and directly kill cancer cells. In spacecraft flight tests, when a spacecraft passes through the atmosphere, the surface temperature of the vehicle rises rapidly due to friction with the air, resulting in extremely high temperatures. Space scientists then protect the vehicle by adding argon to lower the vehicle surface temperature to a theoretical -190 degrees Celsius in a very short period of time. The argon helium knife system was developed by introducing this technology. It is said that for cancer, the traditional treatments are surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, Chinese herbal medicine and immune gene therapy, etc. However, since more than 70-80% of tumor patients are already in the middle and late stages when they are detected, they lose the chance of surgical radical treatment. The use of argon helium knife provides new hope for the treatment of these patients. Director Guo said that Ar-He knife is not a real scalpel, but a tumor treatment system with full monitoring, accurate positioning, targeting, high efficiency and low toxicity. The doctor can monitor the whole process of puncture in real time on the monitor screen like watching TV. Ar-He knife rapid ultra-low temperature cooling technology can make argon gas expand rapidly at the tip of the knife and freeze the diseased tissue to minus 140 degrees Celsius in about 10 seconds, resulting in rapid ice crystal formation inside and outside the tumor cells, and the fusion and rupture of ice crystals during the rewarming process, leading to irreversible necrosis of tumor cells. The whole speed of cooling and heating, time, temperature, size and shape of the ice ball are all completely controllable and precisely set. More importantly, because the Ar-He knife cooling process is completely monitored and the sticks are well insulated, there is no damage to the tissues in the puncture path. It can be performed alone and has become the first-line treatment for prostate cancer and isolated kidney cancer. It can also be combined with chemotherapy or surgery, especially in cases where surgery is not possible or other treatments have failed.