BSD Medical Reports Published Article Documents Rationale For Increased Use Of Hyperthermia

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Article Date: 12 Oct 2010 - 1:00 PDT


BSD Medical Corp. (NASDAQ: BSDM) reported that a study titled "Biological Rationales and Clinical Applications of Temperature Controlled Hyperthermia - Implications for Multimodal Cancer Treatments" has been published in Current Medicinal Chemistry.The article, which was authored by leading researchers Schildkopf, Ott, Frey, Wadepohl, Sauer, Fietkau and Gailpl, can be accessed here.

The researchers reviewed the results from recent clinical studies that demonstrated the ability of hyperthermia to significantly improve the effectiveness of other therapies, including radiation therapy and certain chemotherapy drugs. The authors reviewed recent randomized clinical studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of hyperthermia in conjunction with radiation and/or chemotherapy for the treatment of a number of tumors, including cervical, rectal, bladder, head and neck, esophageal, melanoma, breast, and soft tissue sarcoma. The research demonstrated that the addition of hyperthermia can significantly improve control and eradication of local tumors and, in special cases, improve control of systemic disease. The authors also discussed how recent improvements in the techniques for delivering and monitoring hyperthermia have improved the effectiveness of hyperthermia treatment, which will lead to increased clinical use of the therapy in the future. Focuses of the review are the biological rationales of hyperthermia in regard to direct cytotoxicity, systemic effects, chemosensitization, radiosensitization, and immune modulation.

The authors reported that radiation therapy (ionizing irradiation) and hyperthermia (HT) act in a synergistic way and the combined treatment is more effective than either treatment alone for certain cancers. The two treatments kill cancer cells in different phases of their growth. Hyperthermia increases the oxygenation in tumors, which increases the effectiveness of radiation. Hyperthermia affects DNA repair, which reduces the ability of the cancer cells to repair and regrow following combined treatment. The combination also stimulates the immune system, allowing the body to fight the cancer. The authors stated that, "Taken together, HT is one of the most potent sensitizers for ionizing irradiation."

The researchers stated that hyperthermia also enhances the effectiveness of certain chemotherapy drugs. Hyperthermia can increase the concentration of the drug in the cancer cells. Hyperthermia also increases the blood supply in the tumor, which increases the distribution of the chemotherapy throughout the tumor. Hyperthermia increases the permeability of the cell, which results in more drug being deposited inside the cancer cell. Hyperthermia can also reverse drug resistance for some drugs. The authors reported that the combination of chemotherapy and hyperthermia may also result in a lower risk of treatment-induced secondary tumors.

The authors concluded that, "Randomized clinical trials have shown improved disease-free survival and local tumor control without an increase in toxicity for the combined treatment."

About Current Medicinal Chemistry

Current Medicinal Chemistry (Impact Factor 4.7) covers the most significant developments in medicinal chemistry. Each issue contains a series of timely in-depth reviews written by leaders in the field covering a range of current medical topics. Current Medicinal Chemistry is regarded as an important publication in the scientific field and has been endorsed by 7 Nobel Laureates. The articles in Current Medicinal Chemistry are peer-reviewed and regularly cited in other scientific and medical publications.

Source:
BSD Medical Corporation

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