Shrinking liver tumors, new non-invasive technology looks promising

According to research conducted at the University of Alabama in Birmingham is a potential new option begin to emerge for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fastest growing form of liver cancer in the u.s. that are often not responding positively to chemotherapy.

Researchers administered very low levels of emit an electromagnetic field of a spoon-like device placed in the patient's mouth to 41 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a phase II study, discover that the tumors in 14 patients had stabilized without significant side effects after six months of the administration of the treatment of each individual patient in three daily treatments of one hour each day.

The most remarkable shrinkage of the tumour, was with the tumor continue to shrink without serious side effects, discovered in a female patient who regular therapy since August 2006 retrieved.

The online version of the British Journal of Cancer reported that the study conducted by Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.d., Director of the UAB Division of Haematology and Oncology in the Department of medicine and his researchers in the matter of the 9 August 2011 in which Pasche, senior author of the research, said,

"It very attractive for part of this novel therapy is its ability to shrink tumors without collateral damage. This method is literally cancer cells in the body and their growth without the growth of normal cells blocks. "

Other treatment options limited to now, with the u. s. Food and Drug Administration to approve only a drug called sorafenib in 20 years. Pasche comments, that although the drug life with an average of three months prolongs, it makes the patient feel better.

He says,

"With our treatment, seven of the 11 patients who have pain prior to the beginning of their treatment reported either a complete disappearance of pain or decreased amounts."

Preliminary evidence also shows that the treatment is not only the primary cancer, but also influenced its metastases.

The device is programmed and has a small battery-powered "radio frequency electromagnetic field generator" affiliated with a spoon-shaped mouthpiece with the patient pressing a button to start the treatment. Similar to a watch that the low levels of radio frequency amplitude-modulated broadcasting, the device is able to deliver doses of 100 to 1,000 times less than that of a mobile phone will be generated.

"When you the mouth piece and put it in your mouth the body an antenna is-the entire body receives a tiny but pretty homogeneous amount of radio-frequency"

Pasche explains.

He and his research partners Alexandre Barbault in France and Frederico Costa at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil tumor-specific frequencies are identified and evaluated the feasibility of the management of such frequencies to patients with advanced cancer in a study of 2009. They decided to investigate whether these frequencies had an effect on the growth of tumors.

Pasche is convinced that this is a promising therapy which could in the near future a standard treatment. If funding is secured, the therapy will be subject to undergo randomized trials, as well as a study for FDA registration. Both will be performed at UAB.

Pasche and UAB staff Andres Forero, M.D., and John Carpenter, MD are also starting to use the technology in breast cancer patients. In a comment he said,

"Although liver transplantation is the most effective treatment, that option will be available for only a fraction of patients. Better therapies are desperately needed for the greater number of HCC patients. "

Written by Petra Rattue
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Article reference:
UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center