The Hadron Collider is helping to treat cancer

This article was taken from the June 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

Cern's particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, is one of the best-known physics experiments, but in Italy, researchers are using the technology for something else: cancer treatment. Doctors at the National Centre for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) in Pavia have treated almost 500 adult patients since 2013, and because of the procedure's low toxicity and reported high success rate, it has now been approved to treat children. "Before starting with paediatrics you have to master everything else," says doctor Sandro Rossi, director general of CNAO. "We will also start treating lung cancer."

CNAO uses precisely targeted beams of either protons or carbon ions to attack tumours. The higher density of the ions means even chemotherapy-resistant cancers can be targeted, as the weight of the ions does irreparable damage to the tumours. A beam is pushed around the synchrotron -- a circular stainless-steel tube -- and accelerated until it does 80-metre loops two million times per second. A section of the beam is then shot at the tumour; varying amounts of energy are exerted to reach particular points inside the body, up to 32cm deep. Three infrared cameras track the tumour and communicate when it is aligned so the beam of particles can attack it. "Imagine the tumour is cut into 1 x 1 x 1 cubic centimetre boxes, and in each box you deposit a certain number of particles," explains Rossi, 51. "It is very precise, and very good at sparing the healthy tissues around the tumour." Not youraverage doctor's appointment. WIRED tours the facility.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK