We’ve gone further than using helmets to spot brain tumors; we can now crush them. Okay, maybe that wording is too harsh and somewhat inaccurate, but a helmet that can actually treat tumors is real. Researchers have created a helmet that generates a magnetic field to shrink a deadly tumor by a third. The invention, as part of the latest breakthrough, was used to treat a 53-year-old patient:
The 53-year-old patient who underwent the treatment ultimately died due to an unrelated injury, but an autopsy of his brain showed that the procedure had removed 31% of the tumor mass in a short time. The test marked the first noninvasive therapy for a deadly form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma.
The helmet features three rotating magnets connected to a microprocessor-based electronic controller operated by a rechargeable battery. As part of the therapy, the patient wore the device for five weeks at a clinic and then at home with the help of his wife. The resulting magnetic field therapy created by the helmet was administered for two hours initially and then ramped up to a maximum of six hours per day. During the period, the patient’s tumor mass and volume shrunk by nearly a third, with shrinkage appearing to correlate with the treatment dose.
The inventors of the device — which received Food and Drug Administration approval for compassionate use treatment — claim it could one day help treat brain cancer without radiation or chemotherapy.
Image credit: Houston Methodist Neurological Institute
Seen another way, this might be a good point to bring up with people who imagine that microwatt radio waves cause cancer, which they don't. "They don't," you could say, "They cure it. Here, look."
Also, I wonder what it feels like to have the magnetic hat on and working. Are there actual moving parts in it, like three massage vibrators, or is it entirely motionless and silent? Did the man say what it's like?