Feb 17, 2017 5 min read

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For most users, Google Earth is a neat way to look at the houses you grew up in or get a birds-eye view of your workplace.

But for researchers in the United Kingdom, the infrastructure of Google Earth is more than just a novelty — it’s a tool to help diagnose and even cure cancer. So how can researchers use something like Google Earth for tumors?

While the researchers aren’t using satellites to view tumors, the basis of their plan is similar to the basics of Google Earth: to create a hyper-detailed image of every recordable tumor on the planet. Most medical records include the size and location of the tumor as well as the type of cancer, but this new database will include that information and also much more.

The ultimate goal is to create a full molecular map of each tumor, down to the individual fat and protein cells that make up the tumors themselves. This, in turn, will help the researchers map the changes that occur both in and around tumors as they grow inside the human body.

With this information, doctors and researchers may be able to find weaknesses in each individual type of cancer that can be used to create more effective and less invasive treatments.

In essence, this project will hopefully paint a big target on these tumor cells that increases the survivability of these diseases.

Imagine being able to click a mouse and find the best and most effective way to cure a patient’s cancer, based on the genetic makeup of the tumor itself.

In addition to this molecular map of the cancer cells, the UK researchers are hoping to create a global database of tumors that includes information on their genetic makeup, metabolic rates and other demographic data that could prove useful during diagnosis and treatment. This will allow oncologists and other professionals across the globe to access potentially life-saving information for their own patients.

This is essential for types of cancer that are common across the globe, such a lung cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. This could potentially save lives, especially for cancers (such as prostate) that have low survivability.

Traditional treatments for cancer, while successful in many cases, can be rife with harsh side effects. These standard treatments include:

• Surgery: As much of the tumor as possible is removed surgically. There are some cases where the tumor is inoperable, so other treatments become the only option.

• Radiation therapy: Radiation, administered externally or internally, targets and kills the cancer cells.

• Chemotherapy: Anti-cancer drugs are administered to treat or cure cancer. The efficacy varies depending on the type of cancer.

While surgery can be targeted to the specific tumor, the other two treatment options are very broad and affect the entire body. Radiation therapy causes hair loss and either or both treatments can temporarily compromise the patient’s immune system, making it harder to fight off other infections.

The tumor database could help change these treatments for the better, allowing doctors to craft targeted treatments that only destroy the malignant tissue without affecting the rest of the body so negatively.

Cancer treatments are already changing thanks to the introduction of trial treatments, such as the laser-guided nanoparticle being pioneered by the University of Copenhagen. In animal trials, the nanoparticles were injected directly into the tumors and then irradiated by laser. By using a method that only affects the nanoparticles, this treatment could potentially eliminate the harsh side effects of traditional treatment.

When paired with the tumor database, a treatment like this could spell the end of cancer as we know it.

Another potential beneficiary of this database is the use of cancer immunotherapy. This new treatment is designed to boost the body’s own immune response to fight the cancer. While it’s not a complete cure for cancer, it can help to slow cancer cell growth and prevent cancer from moving to other parts of the body.

There are several different ways to jump-start the human immune system and convince it to fight the cancer cells. If we knew the best way to kill a specific type of cancer, those treatments could be tailored to make them more effective. We might not be up to making custom antibodies for our own immune systems yet, but that might change as the database grows.

Cancer is something that affects people all over the world, regardless of skin color, religion, wealth or location. With a global tool like this, doctors could turn cancer into something that is, if not easy to beat, at least easier to live with. A cancer diagnosis will never be something that anyone looks forward to, but with these new advances in treatment and targeting, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence, either.