11-26-2014, 06:48 AM
Actually I have one more question out of curiosity. If the creation of new organs from the cells of a patient was already possible (for example via 3D-bioprinters) then wouldn't that mean that most types of cancer could be effectively turned into a chronic disease as long as the cancer doesn't infest the brain? I mean even if somebody develops an advanced stage of cancer, which has spread to other organs, all, one has to do, is to "print out" new tissues and organs for such a patient and then replace the infested tissues and organs with the new ones.
Of course this would likely not heal the cancer, because if even one cancer stem cell survives, it would simply cause cancer again but it would at least slow down the disease and give the patient more time in which doctors could try out other chemotherapy agents. One could then even try out highly aggressive chemotherapy agents, which would cause huge collateral damage to healthy organs and tissue. As long as this damage is not immediately fatal these organs and tissue could be replaced later on by printing out new tissue on the bioprinter. Actually one could even print out those organs, which would likely be affected the most by the new chemo-agents, in advance to save some time.
Of course if the cancer eventually spreads to the brain or infests the spinal cord 'organ and tissue replacement' wouldn't work anymore.
But in principle wouldn't these kind of advances in organ and tissue replacement also cause a huge leap in the treatment of most forms of cancer? Or is organ and tissue bioprinting even more complicated than cancer treatment? In that case the whole argument above wouldn't work, because then one could already cure various forms of cancer long before one could print out new organs and tissue in 3d-bioprinters.
Of course this would likely not heal the cancer, because if even one cancer stem cell survives, it would simply cause cancer again but it would at least slow down the disease and give the patient more time in which doctors could try out other chemotherapy agents. One could then even try out highly aggressive chemotherapy agents, which would cause huge collateral damage to healthy organs and tissue. As long as this damage is not immediately fatal these organs and tissue could be replaced later on by printing out new tissue on the bioprinter. Actually one could even print out those organs, which would likely be affected the most by the new chemo-agents, in advance to save some time.
Of course if the cancer eventually spreads to the brain or infests the spinal cord 'organ and tissue replacement' wouldn't work anymore.
But in principle wouldn't these kind of advances in organ and tissue replacement also cause a huge leap in the treatment of most forms of cancer? Or is organ and tissue bioprinting even more complicated than cancer treatment? In that case the whole argument above wouldn't work, because then one could already cure various forms of cancer long before one could print out new organs and tissue in 3d-bioprinters.
"Hydrogen is a light, odorless gas, which, given enough time, turns into people." -- Edward Robert Harrison