I've served my own cancer apprenticeship - I had a tumour the size of a dinner plate buried in my chest.

BBC: Chris Geiger: I went under cover to expose cancer claims

She had been buried up to her chest and had to dig herself out.

CNN: Hundreds still missing in aftermath of Indonesia quakes

After the judge read the verdict to a hushed court, Knox buried her head in her lawyer's chest and sobbed.

BBC: Amanda Knox guilty of Meredith Kercher murder

This seems a promising approach for tumours in places where catheters can reach, such as the gut or chest wall, but not much use for those buried in more obscure corners of the body.

ECONOMIST: Medicinal light-swords