Top 10 Medical Advances of the Decade

10. Human Genome Mapped
By 2006, the entire human genome was mapped and published. Although we do not understand what every strand of DNA encodes for, we have learned what genes are implicated in diseases like cancer and metabolic disorders. Continued research shows promise for a deeper understanding of genetic diseases.

9. Non-fetal Stem Cell Research
While the media has been focusing on embryonic stem-cell research, scientists have been researching the promise of using adult stem cells and a process called transdifferentiation to transform undifferentiated stem cells into any type of cell. For example, a brain stem cell can be reprogrammed to become a red blood cell, or another type of cell can be reprogrammed to become an insulin-secreting pancreatic cell for diabetics.

8. Self-assessment
Although not a strictly medical advance in and of itself, the emergence of health-related message boards, websites, and drug information has given patients a free way to get a second opinion on medical issues. While most doctors are highly skilled and trustworthy, they do make mistakes. The mass of information on the web allows patients to take charge of their health by performing self-assessments and learning what questions to ask. Patients can also learn about tests that doctors typically do not think to order, such as tests for serum levels of Vitamin D.

7. Heart Attack Survival
A patient who presents to the emergency room with a heart attack has a much greater chance of survival than just 10 years ago. Anti-coagulant drugs like tissue plasminogen activator can break up artery clogging blood clots, and other timely interventions like a stint. Reduced smoking and a better understanding of what role diet plays have helped reduce the incidence of heart attacks by 40% in the past 10 years.

6. Breast Cancer Survival
The survival rates for breast cancer have improved steadily since the 70's. But just in the last decade, the survival rate for localized breast cancer has risen to 98%, a virtually guaranteed chance of survival. The incidence of breast cancer has decreased within the past decade, a fact that can be reasonably attributed to reduction in hormone-replacement therapy and a decline in abortions, both of which have been linked to breast cancer.

5. Laparoscopic Surgery
Many common operations, such as the removal of a diseased gallbladder or removal of a cyst, used to require cutting and exposing the body's internal organs to the outside. But in just the past decade, the technology of minimally invasive surgery has been all but perfected. Now surgeons can insert a robotic arm through a tiny hole and perform amazing surgeries with a greatly reduced risk of infection and other complications.

4. Mind Reading
Great strides have been made in understanding what parts of the human brain control certain functions. Functional MRI, or fMRI, can visualize what parts of the brain "light up" while the patient performs various activities and thinks. Although fMRI and similar brain-scanning technologies cannot peer into your conscious, they are providing eerie insight into how the neurons in your brain communicate and interact.

3. Patient Temperature Modulation
Patients who suffer cardiac arrest are deprived of oxygen until their heart can be restarted. During this time, cells, especially brain cells, rapidly die off, resulting in permanent brain damage or even death. Medical researches have developed a way to slow the rate of cell death by rapidly lowering the patient's body temperature. By lowering the patient's core temperature, the cells do not consume the available oxygen as quickly, allowing them to live longer. Some patients who have been without a heartbeat for as long as 30 minutes have recovered with virtually no brain damage as a result of this technology.

2. Blood Substitutes
Even though blood is everywhere, transfusion blood for patients is almost always in short supply. Blood, once donated, can only last for about 2 weeks. Companies have began developing a sterile blood substitute that can be intravenously given to patients with life-threatening blood loss. Although such blood substitutes like PolyHeme are still undergoing clinical trials, the fact that such experiments are even taking place is encouraging.

1. Fetal Surgery
In 2009, Canadian doctors performed heart valve surgery on an unborn baby girl who had a narrowing of the aorta, a condition which inevitably leads to heart failure. Such surgeries are not limited to heart conditions. Spinal abnormalities such as spina bifida can also be treated while the baby is forming in the womb. Such surgeries can also reduce the need for medical treatments later in adult life, potentially decreasing the cost of healthcare and improving quality of life.