Conventional cancer therapies aim to destroy tumors while simultaneously sparing healthy cells from damage, leading to side effects and possibly resistance in patients. Therefore, an alternative therapy method that reprograms cancer cells may be needed.
Weak radiofrequency electromagnetic fields may have the power to impact cancer cells by changing their metabolism and slowing cell growth rates, though the optimal frequency must be determined for each cancer type.
Radiofrequency ablation
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an electrical pulse therapy treatment used to heat and destroy abnormal cells, such as cancerous tumors. To perform the procedure, needle electrodes must first be implanted into your body using imaging technology for placement; then once in position, doctors or surgeons send electrical pulses through them that heat up and kill off tissue in 30 to 1 hour time frames; when finished they’re removed by their doctors before dressing the wound – which usually occurs either at a hospital or day procedure center.
At your initial appointment, an intravenous line and possibly sedative will be given to help relax. Your doctor will explain everything thoroughly and answer any of your questions regarding the process. Prior to having RFA performed on you, all food or liquid consumption (other than water) must cease 24 hours before. Your doctor may suggest RFA treatment if other treatments have failed; before doing this procedure they will conduct a diagnostic block test to identify its source and level of relief; if this test doesn’t go as expected then RFA might not be prescribed;
RFA may help doctors shrink tumors that are blocking the flow of bile and leading to jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes). This procedure may also be used to treat bone metastases to alleviate pain and discomfort; however, for most people this treatment serves only as palliative care – not curing cancer altogether.
If your tumour is too large for RFA, your doctor may opt to reduce its size through surgery instead. This is often useful when there are vital structures nearby like the lungs or liver involved, as well as for treating rare cancers.
If the tumor is located in a highly hazardous site such as the brain, RFA treatment should be avoided as it will likely not be successful against cancer that has spread to other parts of the body such as lungs or bones.
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive technology for imaging soft tissues in the body. MRI is particularly adept at capturing images of brain tissue and is particularly adept at detecting tumors and abnormalities that may otherwise go undetected, like tumors and abnormalities of the spinal column. Because MRI does not produce radiation exposure, it is also safe for those with implanted medical devices such as artificial joints/cochlear implants/pacemakers/stents/metal screws in eyes/ears as well as implanted medical devices or medical implants/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/pacemakers/stents/metals screws/metals screws/metals screws/eye/ear. Magnetic resonance imaging/ mri scan can detect blood clots within arteries called arterial disease while also detecting an an venous thrombosis within an vein carrying blood away from brain (cerebral venous thrombosis).
Contrary to x-ray or computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses powerful magnets and radio waves without emitting radiation to produce images of tissue without using radiation irradiation. These waves re-align hydrogen atoms within your body so they release energy, and a computer uses different characteristics of photons released by these hydrogen atoms to construct a picture of your tissues and guide treatment accordingly.
MRI can not only identify the size and location of tumors, but it can also demonstrate their response to treatment. For example, it can show whether radiation therapy will work by showing areas with lower water content that contain fewer cancer cells than more dense areas such as fat or bone.
One of MRI’s most exciting uses is in image-guided radiation therapy, where scans are used to plan and administer radiotherapy treatments more precisely, sparing nearby healthy tissue while targeting cancer cells more directly – leading to faster and more precise treatments courses.
ViewRay is our MRI-guided radiation therapy system and it combines a 0.35 Tesla MRI scanner with a linear accelerator (linac). While the latter delivers radiation dose, real-time imaging allows for precise targeting by our ViewRay system.
While MRI can be effective at guiding radiation therapy, it does have some restrictions and limitations. For instance, it cannot be used to visualize single pulmonary nodules due to differences in physical structure between organs; furthermore, it can be very expensive.
TheraBionic P1
The TheraBionic P1 is a handheld device that emits radio frequencies through an antenna attached to a spoon-shaped antenna placed on a patient’s tongue. This low level radiation exposes all cells in the body to electromagnetic fields at frequencies between 25-40 kHz that kill cancerous ones without harming healthy ones, helping reduce tumor size and extend overall survival for those diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent form of liver cancer. Recently approved as class IIa device.
Researchers from Wake Forest School of Medicine studied 59 patients with advanced HCC who received treatment using TheraBionic P1. At each session, patients used the device for three one-hour sessions; results of this research were published in 4Open journal of high-quality articles on science and technology; this revealed that TheraBionic P1 could treat the disease by disrupting cancer cell’s ability to grow and spread; in addition, no adverse side effects were noted from its use.
TheraBionic P1 not only increases overall survival rates but is also linked to decreased tumor growth and liver function impairment. It has proven itself a promising therapy option for patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma; particularly useful when severe impairment prevents them from taking advantage of other available treatments.
This study took an exploratory approach to explore the potential of comparing TheraBionic P1 with other active therapies, specifically Sorafenib, the first TKI approved for advanced HCC. They calculated median OS for patients with Child-Pugh A or B advanced HCC who received it and compared this figure with Sorafenib; Signed Rank test proved this comparison significant, showing similar median OS values between Sorafenib and TheraBionic P1.
This study was supported by TheraBionic Inc and all authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest; Boris Pasche holds stock in both TheraBionic Inc and TheraBionic GmbH and serves as Chairman, CEO and co-CEO for both entities; additionally he sits as Senior Editorial Board Member on Life Sciences-Medicine of 4Open by EDP Sciences.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound imaging uses high-frequency sound waves to produce live images of your internal organs using sonography – also known as ultrasound scanning or sonography. Ultrasound scans are painless and don’t use radiation, making them safer than other diagnostic techniques such as X-rays.
An ultrasound probe sends pulses of sound waves into your body that echo back from different tissues and organs at various speeds back towards it, creating a real-time image of what’s going on inside you. This information is recorded and displayed on a monitor, providing a real-time picture of what lies within.
Doctors use ultrasound imaging for many purposes, including diagnosing conditions and monitoring pregnancy as well as conducting needle biopsies to test for cancer. Unfortunately, ultrasound does have some restrictions; for instance it cannot penetrate bone structures like the lungs, nor work effectively when used on air or gas-filled structures like organs such as the stomach.
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) suggests that physicians use diagnostic ultrasound in accordance with its principle, “As Low as Reasonably Achievable”, to minimize unnecessary radiation exposure. Therefore, doctors may wish to consider nonionizing alternatives like MRI for examination purposes.
Focused ultrasound technology could also provide potential treatment for cancer; it uses concentrated heat delivery to specific parts of the body for safe, noninvasive heating of specific areas. It could potentially be used for prostate cancer and other conditions; additionally, this form of heat delivery might prevent certain cancer cells from becoming resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
One study conducted at the University of Virginia by researchers demonstrated how focused ultrasound and chemotherapy drugs could effectively kill tumors in rats. Their findings were published in “Focalized Ultrasound Therapy”.
UVA has recently expanded this research, having been named a Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Their Center is exploring MRI-guided focused ultrasound as a non-incisional way of treating lung cancer and other serious disorders.
The Foundation is a non-profit, private organization dedicated to improving patients’ lives by speeding up development and adoption of focused ultrasound as a safe, effective therapy for various medical conditions. Dr. Jaime Mata of UVA’s Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging serves as both founder and Executive Director.
