Archive for the ‘Radio Frequency RF’ Category

RF Ablation After Excision Can Prevent Tumor Recurrence

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Posted 10 May 2012 — by James Street
Category Breast Cancer, Radio Frequency RF

Nancy A. Melville

May 8, 2012 (Phoenix, Arizona) — The use of intraoperative radiofrequency ablation to create a disease-free zone after the excision of a breast cancer tumor can significantly reduce the need for repeat surgeries and adjuvant radiation, according to the results of a study presented here at the American Society of Breast Surgeons 13th Annual Meeting.

Despite advances in tumor localization technology, the ability to identify a specific size or grade of invasive cancer that can be reliably addressed with lumpectomy alone is still an inexact science; patients often require reexcision of positive margins or adjuvant radiation, which increase cost and morbidity.

“Even with our best efforts, 20% to 40% of patients require reincision for closed or positive margins,” said lead author Misti Wilson, MD, a surgical oncologist at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.

Although radiation can significantly reduce recurrence after lumpectomy, it is associated with significant adverse effects, including breast fibrosis and decreased cosmesis, and can be inconvenient and even impossible for rural or poor patients to obtain, she explained.

The use of radiofrequency ablation following excision (eRFA) allows surgeons to create an extra tumor-free zone extending beyond the lumpectomy cavity, which approximates the zone treated by brachytherapy.

eRFA-treated breast

Dr. Wilson and her colleagues evaluated 73 patients with invasive cancer and an average tumor size of 1.1 cm (range, 0.2 to 2.5 cm) who were treated with eRFA.

The mean age of the patients was 69 years, and all started out with tumors 3 cm or less and clinically negative nodes.

The radiofrequency procedure involves deploying the probe, maintained at 100 °C, for 15 minutes to circumferentially extend the lumpectomy cavity margin by 1 cm. Doppler sonography was used to determine the final ablation size.

Follow-up, involving a mammogram and physician exam, was done every 6 months in the first 2 years, and yearly thereafter.

Of the 73 patients, 68 had invasive ductal carcinoma and 5 had invasive lobular carcinoma; 93% of patients had grade 1 to 2 disease.

None of the patients received radiation therapy; for cosmesis, their Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) score was reported as good to excellent. The only patients requiring reresection were those with grossly positive margins or residual calcifications on postoperative mammography.

Nineteen of the patients had adequate margins, defined as 2 mm or less. Of those, 16 (84%) had close or positive margins and were spared reexcision.

“In general, only 3 patients of 73 returned to the operating room for reexcision after eRFA,” Dr. Wilson said.

Postoperatively, there were 2 hematomas that resolved on their own and 4 infections requiring antibiotics, incision, and drainage, she noted.

In the 55-month follow-up period, disease-free survival at 1 year was 100%, at 3 years was 92%, and at 5 years was 86%. There were 8 deaths overall, but none were related to the primary disease.

“The findings indicate that eRFA reduces the need for second surgeries for inadequate margins,” Dr. Wilson concluded.

“Long-term follow-up suggests that in patients with breast cancer or who can’t or won’t have radiation, eRFA can reduce local recurrence without the need of radiation therapy, and these patients reported good to excellent cosmesis.”

This study is important in demonstrating the potential of eRFA to benefit breast cancer patients and allow for potential breast conservation, said Peter Beitsch, MD, a surgical oncologist at the Dallas Surgical Group in Texas.

“This small study, with relatively short follow-up, is very innovative and [demonstrates that eRFA allows] complete local treatment in one setting,” said Dr. Beitsch.

“Not only is it extremely convenient for patients, eRFA may allow more women the opportunity of breast preservation when the logistics of travel to and from the radiation center makes mastectomy their only option.”

“I look forward to the larger study and continued follow-up of this cohort to ensure the persistence of local control,” he said.

Dr. Wilson’s team has opened a multicenter trial — ABLATE (Adjunctive Breast Lumpectomy With RF Ablation Treatment to Reduce Re-Excision & Recurrence) — and recruiting is underway at 5 centers.

The study was funded by research grant from AngioDynamics and the Fashion Footwear Association of NY and QVC.

American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS) 13th Annual Meeting: Abstract 0136. Presented May 4, 2012.

DFINE Introduces STAR Tumor Ablation System at SIR 2012

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Posted 23 Mar 2012 — by James Street
Category am radio frequency emf, General Cancer Research, Radiation, Radio Frequency RF

press release

March 22, 2012, 2:22 p.m. EDT

Targeted Radiofrequency Device Heats and Destroys Tumor Cells, Providing Palliative Pain Relief for Vertebral Body Metastasis

 

SAN JOSE, Calif., Mar 22, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — DFINE, Inc., the developer of minimally invasive radiofrequency (RF) targeted therapies for the treatment of vertebral pathologies, today announced it will debut the STAR™ Tumor Ablation System at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s (SIR) 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, March 24-29 (Booth #233).

 

“The STAR System, using targeted radiofrequency ablation (t-RFA™), is a dramatic step forward in the palliative treatment of patients suffering from the debilitating effects of spinal tumors within the vertebral body. It improves the physician’s ability to offer acute pain relief through the use of a single, minimally invasive procedure that is compatible with both chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” said Kevin Mosher, Chief Executive Officer of DFINE. “Unlike other currently available ablation tools, the STAR System was designed and purpose-built for the palliative treatment of metastatic vertebral body lesions.”

Beyond narcotic administration for pain management and conservative treatment, the primary modality for treating painful spinal metastases has been external beam radiation, which, while effective, may require weeks or months to address the associated pain and disability. In addition, radiation therapy often requires patients suspend chemotherapy treatment of the primary cancer due to the potential effects of cumulative toxicity. The benefits of t-RFA using the STAR System include:

– Minimally invasive, targeted procedure

– Rapid pain relief

– Compatible with current treatment algorithms

– Alternative for patients who have reached their cumulative toxicity limit

– Potential treatment for radio-resistant lesions

– Pain reduction prior to radiotherapy

Metastatic bone disease occurs in up to 85 percent of patients with the three most common types of primary cancer — breast, prostate and lung.(1) The spine is the most common site for bone metastases, with studies showing that metastatic spinal tumors will develop in between 10 percent and 40 percent of all cancer patients, with even higher rates in elderly patients.(2) For patients, this can cause debilitating pain, numbness, and even paralysis as these tumors impinge on neurologic tissue and weaken the structure of the vertebrae. Several post-mortem studies have found metastatic spinal tumors in over 30 percent of all patients who died as a result of cancer and cancer-related causes.(3,4)

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach – “Metastatic Spinal Tumors: Current Practice and Future Directions”

DFINE will sponsor a dinner symposium to explore the importance of integrated interventional therapies in the clinical treatment pathways for patients with metastatic vertebral body tumors on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Foothill G Room.* The symposium, “Metastatic Spinal Tumors: Current Practice and Future Directions,” will be moderated by Francis R. Facchini, M.D., FSIR, Assistant Professor at The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and an Interventional Radiologist at VIR Chicago, and will feature a world renowned multi-disciplinary panel with perspectives from experts in medical oncology, radiation oncology and interventional radiology.

About DFINE, Inc.

DFINE is dedicated to relieving pain and improving the quality of life for patients suffering from vertebral pathologies through innovative, minimally invasive therapies. DFINE’s devices are built upon an extensible radiofrequency (RF) platform. Cleared for commercial use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the first application is the StabiliT® Vertebral Augmentation System and StabiliT® ER(2) Bone Cement, which harness the power of RF energy to treat pathological fractures of the vertebrae. The company subsequently received FDA 510(k) commercial clearance for its second application, the STAR™ Tumor Ablation System, for palliative treatment in spinal procedures to ablate metastatic malignant lesions in a vertebral body. Both products will be on display at SIR’s 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in booth #233. DFINE is based in San Jose, Calif. and is a privately held company. For more information visit http://www.dfineinc.com .

About SIR’s Annual Scientific Meeting

The Society of Interventional Radiology’s Annual Scientific Meeting is the most comprehensive educational meeting for the IR community and associated professionals, focused on developments in interventional radiology and interventional oncology, and attracts nearly 5,300 physicians, scientists and health professionals from around the world. For more information visit: http://www.SIRmeeting.org/ .

(1) Kurup AN and Callstrom MR. Ablation of skeletal metastases: Current status. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2010;21:S242-S250.

(2) Cardoso ER, et al. Percutaneous tumor curettage and interstitial delivery of samarium-153 coupled with kyphoplasty for treatment of vertebral metastases. J. Neurosurg Spine 2009;10:336-342.

(3) Wong DA, Fornasier VL, and MacNab I. Spinal metastases: the obvious, the occult, and the impostors. Spine. 1990;15(1):1-4.

(4) Ortiz Gomez JA. The incidence of vertebral body metastases. Int Orthop. 1995;19:309-311.

* This event is not considered part of the SIR 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting as planned by the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting Committee.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50214882&lang=en

SOURCE: DFINE, Inc.

        
        For DFINE, Inc. 
        Susan Benton Russell, 310-697-3488 
        susan@bentoncommunications.com

First Prospective Clinical Trial of Adaptive Radiotherapy for Head & Neck Cancer Patients

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Posted 18 Feb 2012 — by James Street
Category Head and Neck, IMRT, Radio Frequency RF

press release

Feb. 9, 2012, 5:54 p.m. EST

MANHASSET, N.Y., Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Researchers led by a senior investigator at Hofstra-North Shore LIJ School of Medicine and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have released initial findings from a first-of-a-kind clinical trial in adaptive radiotherapy (ART) for head and neck cancer. The trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, provides evidence that ART may benefit patients with less technical difficulty than previously believed. The findings of this trial were released online in advance of publication in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.

Physicians commonly use radiotherapy to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (back of throat). Current standard-of-care treatment is called intensity-modulated radiotherapy, or IMRT. IMRT allows physicians to “sculpt” radiation to fit the anatomy of individual patients. Although appealing, this technique has a crucial Achilles’ heel – it is based entirely on a CT or MRI scan taken before actual treatment begins. Since a typical course of radiation treatment for oropharynx cancer lasts 6-7 weeks, standard IMRT cannot compensate for common changes that take place in a patient’s body during this time, such as weight loss, shrinkage of tumor, or gradual movement of normal tissues. Recent work suggests that the inability of standard IMRT to keep up with these changes may lead to unanticipated toxicity, or potentially worse, missing of tumor.

For this new trial, which was conducted at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, investigators started patients on standard IMRT. They then took CT scans while patients were lying in the radiation treatment room each day so they could monitor changes in tumor and normal tissues during the entire course of treatment. Through computerized techniques, the investigators “adapted” (thus the name “adaptive radiotherapy”) treatment if they noticed significant tumor or body changes that could affect quality of treatment. Most strikingly, the group found that most patients required only one, or at most two adaptions of IMRT to maintain treatment quality.

“This is the first prospective clinical trial of its kind to gauge how ‘refitting’ of IMRT to a patient’s body actually impacts care for a patient who has head and neck cancer,” noted David Schwartz, MD, vice-chair of radiation medicine at the North Shore-LIJ Health System, associate professor at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, and a senior investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. “What most encouraged us was that ART appears effective with only 1 or 2 additional replans. This means that ART does not have to be overly burdensome or expensive to make a difference. This is something that is feasible, and could eventually make a real-world difference in many clinics.”

“ART keeps radiation treatment tightly fitted to a patient’s body, almost as if it were being shrink-wrapped,” Schwartz added. “It is as individualized as our current treatment can realistically be.”

Specifics of the TrialTwenty-four patients enrolled onto this institutional review board approved trial; data for 22 of these patients were analyzed with at least 12 months follow-up. Treatment was initiated with a baseline IMRT plan, and computed tomography (CT) imaging was performed in the treatment room each day to map tumors and normal anatomy to assess need for ART replanning.

Primary site was base of tongue in 15 patients, tonsil in 6 patients, and glossopharyngeal sulcus in one patient. Twenty patients (91 percent) had American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Stage IV disease. T stage distribution was 2 T1, 12 T2, 3 T3, 5 T4. N stage distribution was 1 N0, 2 N1, 5 N2a, 12 N2b, and 2 N2c. Of the patients, 21 (95%) received systemic therapy.

All patients required at least one ART replan because of tumor and normal tissue changes; eight patients (36 percent) required a second ART replan. For the patients who required one adaptive replan, parotid salivary glands had shrunk by an average of 16 percent and tumors had shrunk by five percent by the time of the replan. For the patients who required a second adaptive replan, parotid glands and tumors had shrunk by 24 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Most ART replans were completed within one day.

With a 31-month median follow-up, there has been no primary site failure and one nodal relapse, yielding 100 percent local and 95 percent regional disease control at two years. Chronic toxicity and functional outcomes beyond one year remain favorable relative to published results for standard IMRT.

About Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/Head-and-Neck CancerThe pharynx is the part of the throat that begins behind the nose and extends down past the larynx to become the entrance of the esophagus. The oropharynx includes the base of the tongue, the tonsils, the soft palate (back of the mouth), and the walls of the pharynx. Oropharyngeal cancer is associated with oral infection with certain forms of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and is presenting in growing numbers of non-smokers and younger patients under the age of 50. Oropharynx cancer, in fact, has recently overtaken cervical cancer as the most common HPV-associated malignancy in American women, and continues to increase in incidence in the United States.

About The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Headquartered in Manhasset, NY, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is home to international scientific leaders in Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, human genetics, leukemia, lymphoma, neuroimmunology, and medicinal chemistry. The Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, ranks in the top 6th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research centers. For more information: www.feinsteininstitute.org

SOURCE The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

A Radio-Frequency Coupling Network for Heating of Citrate-Coated Gold Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy: Design and Analysis

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Posted 21 Sep 2011 — by James Street
Category Biomedical Engineering, gold nanorod antennas, Kanzius Machine, NanoTechnology, Physics and Engineering, Radio Frequency RF

Dustin E. Kruse*, Douglas N. Stephens, Member, IEEE, Heather A. Lindfors, Elizabeth S. Ingham, Eric E. Paoli,
and Katherine W. Ferrara, Fellow, IEEE

Abstract—Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are nontoxic, can be functionalized
with ligands, and preferentially accumulate in tumors.
We have developed a 13.56-MHz RF-electromagnetic field (RFEM)
delivery system capable of generating high E-field strengths
required for noninvasive, noncontact heating of GNPs. The bulk
heating and specific heating rates were measured as a function
of NP size and concentration. It was found that heating is both
size and concentration dependent, with 5 nm particles producing
a 50.6 ± 0.2 ◦C temperature rise in 30 s for 25 μg/mL gold
(125 W input). The specific heating rate was also size and concentration
dependent, with 5 nm particles producing a specific
heating rate of 356 ± 78 kW/g gold at 16 μg/mL (125 W input).
Furthermore, we demonstrate that cancer cells incubated
with GNPs are killed when exposed to 13.56 MHz RF-EM fields.
Compared to cells that were not incubated with GNPs, three out
of four RF-treated groups showed a significant enhancement of
cell death with GNPs (p < 0.05). GNP-enhanced cell killing appears
to require temperatures above 50 ◦C for the experimental
parameters used in this study. Transmission electron micrographs
showextensive vacuolizationwith the combination of GNPs andRF
treatment.
Index Terms—Cancer therapy, gold nanoparticles (GNPs), nanotechnology,
RF hyperthermia, resonant circuits.
Link to DF file

Thermal Ablation Sutter Cancer Center Treatments & Services

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Posted 04 Sep 2011 — by James Street
Category Hyperthermia, Radio Frequency RF

One of the most promising advances in many years, thermal ablation treats cancer tumors using heat-generating probes inserted directly into malignant tissue.

Gregory Graves, M.D. Gregory Graves, M.D. and Scott Foster, M.D.

Because cancer cells are more susceptible to destruction by heat than normal tissue cells, thermal ablation allows surgeons to treat tumors with minimal damage to surrounding tissue. Especially in cancers of the liver, lung, bone and kidney that are often difficult to treat surgically, thermal ablation offers a better alternative to eliminate or shrink tumors and reduce pain. Sutter Cancer Center, Sacramento oncologic surgeon Gregory Graves, M.D., John Lee, M.D. and interventional radiologist Scott Foster, M.D. introduced thermal ablation for lung cancer treatment to Sacramento and continue to research new techniques and applications.

What Is Thermal Ablation? | back to top
There are two types of thermal ablation: radiofrequency (RFA) and microwave. Both are minimally invasive techniques that treat cancer by applying intense heat through a small probe inserted directly into the tumor.
RFA and microwave ablation treatments aim to reduce patient symptoms, improve quality of life and increase survival rate.

How Does Thermal Ablation Work? | back to top
Surgeons insert a probe into the tumor. Alternating electrical currents pass through the tumor, heating the tissue. The heat destroys the cells and ablates (destroys) the tumor.

What are the Benefits of Thermal Ablation? | back to top
Thermal ablation provides an excellent alternative to major surgery, which can pose substantial risks even with the best and most experienced surgeons. Thermal ablation significantly reduces risks and speeds recovery. Additionally, follow-up imaging and treatment may be easier after a thermal ablation procedure.

What Are the Risks? | back to top
As with every procedure, there are risks. The risk of major complication due to thermal ablation is one to two percent. Bleeding is the most common complication. Depending on the size of the tumor, it is possible that thermal ablation will destroy only part of the tumor. If this is an issue in your case, your physician will discuss the risk during your consultation.

Who Does the Procedure? | back to top
The Sutter Cancer Center is staffed by leading specialists in thoracic and oncologic surgeries, interventional radiology, radiation therapy and pulmonary treatment. Thoracic and oncology surgeon Gregory Graves, M.D., oncology surgeon John Lee, and interventional radiologist and Scott Foster, M.D. perform the procedure. In addition, they are the specialists who introduced this new technology for lung cancer to Sacramento.

How Do I Learn More? | back to top
To find out more about radiofrequency and microwave ablation, call Jeannine Graves, R.N., CNOR, at (916) 454-6913 or email capsurg@sutterhealth.org.

Combination radiofrequency thermal ablation and adjuvant IV liposomal doxorubicin increases tissue coagulation and intratumoural drug accumulation

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Posted 04 Sep 2011 — by James Street
Category Local Recurrence, Lung Metastases, Radio Frequency RF, Thoracic Surgery
2004, Vol. 20, No. 7 , Pages 781-802 (doi:10.1080/02656730410001711655)

M. Ahmed and S. N. Goldberg*

1Laboratory for Minimally Invasive Tumor Therapies, Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Correspondence: S. N., Goldberg Laboratory for Minimally Invasive Tumor Therapies, Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA sgoldber@caregroup.harvard.edu

 

There has been marked interest in minimally-invasive, image-guided radiofrequency (RF) tumour ablation (i.e. coagulating tumour using short duration heating (<15 min) by directly applying temperatures >50°C via needle electrodes) to treat focal liver, renal, breast, bone and lung tumours. In spite of advances in RF technology and improved understanding of tumour biophysiology that now enable experimental treatment of tumours up to 5 cm, investigators have been unable to achieve complete ablation in many cases, particularly at the tumour margins and adjacent to blood vessels. One strategy for overcoming these limitations has been to take advantage of complementary interactions between RF thermal ablation and chemotherapy, particularly liposomal doxorubicin preparations, to attempt more complete tumour destruction. This paper will review published laboratory investigations demonstrating that this combined treatment paradigm has the unique potential both to potentiate preferential delivery of cytotoxic agents in liposome vehicles and to maximize the completeness of ablation of a treated tumour. New confirmatory data describing increased tumour destruction with RF ablation combined with different liposome preparations, documenting increased lipid peroxidation and expanding on previously published tumour growth studies is presented. Additionally, early clinical data including a randomized, pilot clinical study on 10 patients with primary and metastatic liver tumours, in which a non-optimized combination of RF ablation and IV liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil) increased the volume of tumour destruction 25–30% compared to RF alone, will also be described in detail.

Cancer Treatment Experts Detail Promising New Radiosurgical Techniques for Lung and Liver Cancer Patients

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Posted 12 May 2011 — by James Street
Category Liver, Lung Cancer, Radiation, Radio Frequency RF, Varian True Beam

More than 500 oncology professionals at ESTRO Congress hear of breakthrough treatments using high dose rate capability of Varian’s TrueBeam™ system

LONDON, May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – European cancer experts have reported on developments of some promising radiosurgical techniques for treating lung and liver cancer using new linear accelerator technology from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR). Among the achievements outlined at a packed “Emerging Technologies Symposium” at the annual conference of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) in London was the ability to treat metastatic liver cancer, an often inoperable condition, with high dose rate radiosurgery by using RapidArc® radiotherapy on Varian’s TrueBeam™ platform.

In front of an audience of more than 500 oncology professionals, clinicians from leading cancer centers in Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands gave detailed accounts of pioneering radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatments at their centers. The program was chaired and moderated by Dr. David Landau, consultant clinical oncologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and honorary senior lecturer at Kings College, London, UK.

Dr. Marta Scorsetti, head of radiation oncology at the Humanitas Clinic in Milan, described an ongoing study involving 43 patients that is aimed at assessing the safety and feasibility of using RapidArc to deliver stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in the treatment of liver metastases. Results, after seven months, were a local tumor control rate of nearly 94%.

“There is undoubtedly a great need for improved therapies for liver cancers that cannot be treated surgically, especially those larger than 5 centimeters,” said Dr. Scorsetti. “Advances in tumor imaging, radiation therapy planning, and motion management have made it possible for high dose radiation therapy to be used safely for treating liver metastases. SBRT offers the possibility of a non-invasive treatment, delivered in few treatment sessions.”

Professor Ben Slotman, head of radiation oncology at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, presented data from his hospital’s lung cancer program. Clinicians there have treated more than 800 stage 1 lung tumor patients in the last eight years. The Center, which receives referrals from more than 70 Dutch hospitals, treats patients on six Varian linear accelerators, including two TrueBeam devices and a Novalis Tx™ machine.

“We recently published the results of a population based study, demonstrating that the introduction of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in two Dutch provinces resulted in a sixteen percent increase in the use of radiotherapy with patients above 75 years of age, and that this resulted in improved survival,”(1) says Prof. Slotman.

Since 2008, all lung SBRT treatments at VU have been delivered using Varian’s RapidArc technology, many on the TrueBeam system. According to Prof. Slotman, the main benefit of RapidArc for lung patients is the shorter treatment time with less risk of motion than with earlier generations of technology. “This is especially important for SBRT, where high doses are delivered over fewer treatment sessions,” he says. “The delivery of the highest dose for lung tumors was reduced from 30 minutes to just six minutes. With the introduction of TrueBeam technology, the integration between imaging and treatment delivery has been improved.  By using the High Intensity Mode in the very near future, we expect to reduce the treatment time to less than three minutes.”

Professor Cai Grau, head of radiotherapy research at the Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, outlined his center’s work in dynamic adaptive radiotherapy techniques for head and neck cancer treatments.

Speed is a critical issue when using images to adapt a treatment over a multi-week course of radiotherapy. “Re-optimizing the treatment plan based on daily 3-D images of the patient’s anatomy allows us to reduce risks associated with anatomical changes such as tumor shrinkage over a course of treatment,” said Professor Grau.

Doctors at Aarhus University Hospital treat patients on 10 Varian linear accelerators, all of them equipped with the On-Board Imager® device for image-guided radiotherapy, and capable of three-dimensional cone-beam CT imaging. Two TrueBeam systems are currently being installed and are due to start treating clinically in four months.

TrueBeam

Designed to advance the treatment of lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, and other types of cancer, Varian’s TrueBeam platform for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery was introduced in April 2010 as the first fully-integrated system designed from the ground up to treat a moving target with  a high level of speed and accuracy.

Applicable for all forms of advanced external-beam radiotherapy including image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery (IGRT and IGRS), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and RapidArc® radiotherapy, TrueBeam can deliver treatments with a dose delivery rate of up to 2400 monitor units per minute, double the maximum output of conventional systems. This makes it possible to offer shorter treatment times for patients, and to improve precision by leaving less time for tumor motion during dose delivery.  More than 225 TrueBeam systems have now been ordered by treatment centers around the world, and more than 65 installations are completed or in process.

RapidArc

RapidArc technology quickly delivers a precise image-guided IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy) treatment two to eight times faster than conventional IMRT.(2,3) Dose is delivered through a beam-shaping aperture that is continually reshaped to match the shape of the tumor as the treatment machine rotates around the patient. Over 1,600 RapidArc systems have been ordered, with nearly 1,000 of those deployed at treatment centers around the world.

Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems,             +44 7786 526068 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +44 7786 526068 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

About Varian Medical Systems

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world’s leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 5,500 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com.

(1) Palma et al., Impact of Introducing Stereotactic Lung Radiotherapy for Elderly Patients With Stage I Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Population-Based Time-Trend Analysis. J Clin Oncol 28, 5153-5159, 2010.

(2) Mayo et al., Initial Experience with Volumetric IMRT (RapidArc) for Intracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 78:5, 1457-1466, Dec 2010.

(3) May Y et al. Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for brain metastases: a dosimetric and treatment efficiency comparison between volumetric modulated arc therapy and intensity modulated radiotherapy. Technol Cancer Res Treat. 9:5, 499-507, Oct 2010.

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems

Curley: Progress continues in Kanzius research

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Posted 29 Apr 2011 — by James Street
Category Kanzius Machine, NanoTechnology, Radiation, Radio Frequency RF
Published: April 29, 2011 1:30 AM EST
Updated: April 29, 2011 7:39 AM EST
By DAVID BRUCE, Erie Times-News
david.bruce@timesnews.com

Cancer patients will have to wait at least two to three more years before they can be treated with the late John Kanzius’ external radio-frequency generator.

It will be that long before the cancer-killing device is approved for human trials, said Steven Curley, M.D., lead researcher for the Kanzius project at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“The absolute best-case scenario is two to three years. It could be five years,” Curley said. “I know people want these trials to start now, … but we have to do things right.”

Curley traveled to Erie to speak Thursday at an educational seminar and a public rally. It was his first visit since August 2009.
His news that human trials might not start for five more years probably disappointed many people, said Kanzius’ widow, Marianne. Kanzius himself said on more than one occasion that he expected human trials would begin in 2010.

“Steve is working on something everyone feels is taking too long,” Marianne Kanzius said. “I understand that because I lost the man I love to cancer. But this is a different type of technology that is going forward. … There is nothing similar that can compare to what Steve is working on.”
A delay in human trials doesn’t mean Curley and his team of 15 researchers at M.D. Anderson aren’t making progress. In fact, he spoke proudly of his team’s success.

“We have four (academic) manuscripts submitted and two others that we are preparing,” Curley said.
A manuscript Curley had published in the December 2010 issue of Clinical Cancer Research showed that Kanzius’ device destroyed pancreatic cancer cells in live mice without harming any healthy tissue.

“I’m an old baseball guy, and that article was a home run,” Curley said. “The animals survived, and we didn’t detect any side effects. Their organ function was normal, all the tests were normal. They showed normal mouse behavior.”
Curley’s team is testing mice and rabbits as it waits for a larger radio-frequency generator to be built that would accommodate larger animals and, eventually, humans.

Kanzius was working on a larger device with the Rutkowski family at Industrial Sales and Manufacturing before his death from cancer-related pneumonia in February 2009.
“John’s death was a significant challenge,” said Todd Palmer, Kanzius’ son-in-law and spokesman for Therm Med LLC, the company Kanzius created to promote his invention. “Many startup companies don’t survive such a loss.”

Another reason it has taken so long for the larger-sized device to be built is more technical.
Kanzius’ device works by emitting radio waves that heat and kill cancer cells targeted with nanoparticles, microscopic pieces of gold or other metals that are injected into the bloodstream.

“The strength in John’s original RF electronic field, the area you place the petri dish or animal to be treated, was not uniform,” Curley said. “It was doughnut-shaped. I told him that wouldn’t work.”
Kanzius and the Rutkowskis fixed the problem in the smaller devices, and now the Rutkowskis are fixing it in the larger ones.

“We expect to send Dr. Curley one of the larger devices by the end of the year,” Palmer said.
Curley has said he and his team will need two years of testing with the larger devices before they are ready to begin human trials. Those trials must be approved by the Food & Drug Administration.

The first human trials would focus on pancreatic and liver cancer. The first phase of testing will be done on 15 to 20 patients at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
If successful, Phase 2 testing will be done on 60 to 120 patients at up to 10 different sites, including the Regional Cancer Center in Millcreek Township.

“I made a commitment to John and Marianne, and the people of this community, that they will be included,” Curley said.
Research is also going on with several other types of cancer.

Kanzius’ device is also being used on certain types of infectious diseases, Curley said.
“It’s promising,” Curley said. “We are preparing a manuscript on treating types of drug-resistant fungal organisms that you often see in cancer patients and AIDS patients. It has shown some success in (petri) dishes, and we’re now starting on small animals.”

But it’s the device’s potential as a cancer-killer that has gained worldwide attention.
Hal Greene was one of the 75 people who attended the public rally Thursday at Perry Square. He left his home in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday morning and arrived in Erie 24 hours later.

“I’ve been following Dr. Curley and this device on the Internet,” said Greene, whose son’s best friend is dying from cancer. “When I saw all the players would be in one location, I knew I had to be here.”
Greene said he risked his job to travel to Erie, even though he realized he wouldn’t be able to talk Curley into treating anyone with Kanzius’ device.

“It’s just part of a bigger desire in my heart to help raise money for this important project,” Greene said.
DAVID BRUCE can be reached at 870-1736 or by e-mail.

Lead researcher on Kanzius cancer-killing machine coming to Erie on April 28

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Posted 02 Apr 2011 — by James Street
Category Kanzius Machine, NanoTechnology, Radio Frequency RF
Published: April 02. 2011 1:15AM
By GERRY WEISS, Erie Times-News
gerry.weiss@timesnews.com

The lead researcher on the John Kanzius cancer-killing machine said the Millcreek Township company that has been building human-sized radio-frequency generators is sending him two of the devices this month.

 

The effectiveness of the larger devices, constructed by Industrial Sales and Manufacturing, would bring the project closer to human trials, Steven Curley, M.D., said Friday during a telephone interview from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

 

Curley, the lead researcher on the cancer-killing machine since 2005, said the generators were constructed for testing larger animals, which in this case will be pigs that weigh 100 to 250 pounds.

 

The machine has worked in treating small animals, such as mice. The first human trials could begin in 2013.

 

“We’re right on track with our research, and we continue to make good progress,” said Curley, who will update the project on April 28 when he speaks in Erie at a Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation fundraising rally in Perry Square.

 

Curley was last in Erie in August 2009.

 

Most of the latest research updates will remain confidential until the rally, officials with the project said.

 

“I want people in Erie to have an update. I want to maintain that connection with the community,” Curley added. “I have close ties there. They have given us so much support.”

 

Testing already done on small animals has successfully killed pancreatic and liver cancer cells without damaging surrounding healthy cells. But testing larger animals in human-sized generators is crucial to gaining approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for trials on humans.

 

“It will prove that we can treat safely with no side effects, and model cancers similar to what we’d see in humans,” Curley said Friday.

 

Curley and his team of researchers will need about two years of testing with the larger device before human trials can begin.

 

Industrial Sales and Manufacturing has been working on the larger generator since before Kanzius died from cancer in February 2009.

 

The device works by sending out radio waves that heat and destroy cancer cells containing nanoparticles — tiny pieces of gold or other metals. Healthy cells are unharmed.

 

GERRY WEISS can be reached at 870-1884 or by e-mail.

Noninvasive radiofrequency fields and targeted gold nanoparticles effective in controlling pancreatic tumors

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Posted 17 Jan 2011 — by James Street
Category NanoTechnology, Radio Frequency RF
Written By: Ash on January 16, 2011 0

Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation (“KCRF”) announces research conducted in the Kanzius/Curley Lab at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has been published in the December 2010 issue of the American Association of Cancer Research’s Clinical Cancer Research journal. The manuscript illustrates how Drs. Steven A. Curley and Evan S. Glazer’s studies prove that radiofrequency fields can treat pancreatic tumors, which today, kill more than 95% of diagnosed patients. Studies found that noninvasive radiofrequency (RF) fields were effective in controlling relatively large malignant pancreatic tumors. Additionally, this process took place without any injury to surrounding tissue or changes in non-human subject behavior.

The manuscript describes the process as non-human subjects are exposed to 10 minutes of nonionizing radiofrequency (RF) radiation followed by 36 hours of treatment using targeted gold nanoparticles (AuNP). This revolutionary design shows that the Kanzius RF machine alongside these particular nanoparticles create an effective formula for controlling pancreatic cancer cells.

“John Kanzius, who created the RF device, once envisioned a cancer treatment that would be both effective and have zero side effects,” remarked Curley, Chief of Gastrointestinal Tumor Surgery and Program Director of Multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Cancer Care at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. “These experiments demonstrate that the Kanzius RF device controls pancreatic cancer cells without any damage to nearby cells, or normal tissues and organs. We still have a lot of work to do but this is an important proof of principle.”

“Every day, our team at the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation works to help fund this incredible research,” said Mark Neidig, Executive Director of KCRF. “These recent findings bring us one step closer to producing an effective, noninvasive cancer treatment that doesn’t have the side effects associated with current treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.”

Source : Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation