VOA常速英语:研究人员为治疗肝癌又出新手段

The only cure for liver cancer lies in a liver transplant or the removal of the cancerous part of the liver.Both methods involve major surgery.And for patients who get a transplant,a lifetime of immuno-suppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organ.
目前治疗肝癌的唯一方法就是进行肝移植或者移除肝脏器官上癌变的部分。不过以上两种方法都需要进行大型外科手术。而且对于做过移植手术的患者来说，这辈子都要依靠免疫抑制的药物来避免自己的身体对新器官产生排异。

But in the future, there may be another way to treat liver cancer.A study led by researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine has shown that a new, minimally invasive approach can target and destroy precancerous tumor cells in the livers of mice and in in-vitro human cells.
不过未来治疗肝癌可能又有了新方法。密苏里大学医学院科研人员曾做过一项研究，结果表明如今有一种最新的微创手段，人们可以利用该方法来定向破坏白鼠肝脏和体外人体细胞中癌变前的肿瘤细胞。

With both chemotherapy and radiation, healthy cells around the tumor are damaged.But this approach involves the use of natural, non-toxic chemical compounds from plants.
由于治疗过程中会用到化疗和放射疗法，这样一来肿瘤周围的健康细胞也不能幸免。但我们上面提到的这一新方法还会采用从植物中提取出的自然无毒的化合物。

“It sounds like a fairy tale,but we are really in advanced stages in terms of tumor treatment, in terms of disease diagnostics.”
“这些东西听起来好像天方夜谭，不过我们现在不管是在治疗肿瘤还是疾病诊断方面都已经处在比较先进的阶段了。”

Kattesh Katti was the lead author of the study that used very small particles of gold,nano-particles encapsulated in a protective stabilizer from an acacia tree.The particles attract precancerous and malignant cells,which are far more susceptible to lower levels of heat than healthy cells.
Kattesh Katti是这项研究的发起人，研究中他使用了金微粒，也就是纳米金粒子，它被封装在从金合欢树上提取的防护性稳定剂中。该微粒用于吸引癌变前细胞和恶性细胞，而相比健康细胞，这些细胞对较低的热量更为敏感。

“The patient will be administered with these nano particles.Within a couple of hours, the patient will be treated with lasers, and then the patient can go home.So, there is no radioactivity.There is no toxic waste, there is no toxicity, systemic toxicity, to the patient.”
“向患者施用这些纳米金粒子。几小时之内再辅以激光疗法，然后患者就可以回家了。整个过程没有放射性，不产生有毒废料。也不会对患者有部分或者全身毒性。”

Katti says the cost of treatment will be low, and what’s more,he says this type of treatment could be used for other types of cancer, arthritis and other debilitating diseases.
Katti表示，这种疗法的成本会很低，另外，此类手段也可以应用到其他类型的癌症、关节炎以及衰弱性疾病的治疗上。

Should this technique work,it will be good news for the nearly 800,000 people who are diagnosed with liver cancer each year.
而此方法一旦奏效，对于每年将近80万被诊断出肝癌的患者来说都将是天大的好消息。

Carol Pearson, VOA news, Washington.
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