World Cancer Day.Cancer is a complex disease in different...

World Cancer Day.

Cancer is a complex disease in different dimensions, pure research (causes and evolution at genetic level or Carcinogenesis), Clinical research (diagnosis, therapies, prognosis, palliative care, psychology…), epidemiology, social impact, etc…

This implies a great transversality that involves the collaboration of multidisciplinary teams: doctors, chemists, physicists, engineers, etc…

When you read the word “multidisciplinary” you can be sure that Physics has a major role in those teams.

And in therapy research, Particle Physics (in combination with Applied Physics) has much to say, and of course CERN is the main front.

Below are some of their lines of research, initiatives, resources and outcomes already in use:

• The Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN). Site - Wikipedia.
  
• The European Network for LIGht ion Hadron Therapy - What is Hadron-therapy?
  
• ACE.- ACE brings together an international team of physicists, biologists and medics to study the biological effects of antiprotons
  
• ULICE - Union of Light Ion Centres in Europe
  
• CERN intensifies medical physics research via IOP medicalphysicsweb (Feb 24, 2014).
  
• Particle therapy (Wikipedia entry)
  
• Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR). Site - Wikipedia
  
• Taking biomedical research at CERN to the next level (CERN)
  
• Particles that fight cancer (A talk by Dr. Steve Myers)
  

Image: A patient undergoing radiotherapy treatment at the Genolier clinic. CERN Bulletin (Hadron therapy takes off in Europe).