Researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine have shown that a targeted therapy using non-thermal radio waves is safe to use in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer. The therapy also showed a benefit in overall survival in findings that were published online in 4Open, a journal published by EDP Sciences.
“HCC accounts for nearly 90% of all liver cancers, and current survival rates are between six and 20 months,” said Boris Pasche, MD, PhD, professor of cancer biology. “Currently, there are limited treatment options for patients with this advanced liver cancer.”
Researchers used a device called TheraBionic P1, invented by Pasche and Alexandre Barbault of TheraBionic GmbH in Ettlingen, Germany. The device works by delivering cancerspecific, amplitude modulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (AM RF EMF) programmed specifically for HCC. The frequencies used are specific to the patient’s type of cancer as identified through tumor biopsies or blood work, Pasche said.
Pasche and Barbault discovered radio frequencies for 15 different types of cancer, as previously reported in a study published in 2009 in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research. For the most recent study, 18 patients with advanced HCC participated and received treatment with the device. Researchers also analyzed previously published data on 41 patients from a phase II study and historical controls from earlier clinical trials.
“Our findings show an improvement in overall survival of more than 30% in patients with well-preserved liver function and also in those with more severe disease,” Pasche said. Researchers also tracked side effects, and no patients stopped TheraBionic P1 treatment because of adverse reactions.