Author(s)

C. A. Minnaar^1,2, G. P. Szigeti³, A. M. Szasz⁴, J. A. Kotzen^1,2

¹Department of Radiation Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
²Department of Radiation Oncology, Wits Donald Gordon Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³Semmelweis University, Innovation Centre, Budapest, Hungary.
⁴Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

Background: Hyperthermia (HT) in oncology was originally applied as a stand-alone treatment (monotherapy), but achieving temperatures required to cause cellular destruction (>43ºC) proved to be challenging. Lower temperatures may increase the risk of dissemination of the treated tumours. Hyperthermia in the current context of oncology therefore aims to achieve moderate temperatures of 39ºC - 41.5ºC and is applied in combination with chemotherapy (ChT) and/or radiotherapy (RT). Modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) applies amplitude modulation to an electric field generated by a capacitive coupled set-up, to selectively heat tumours. As mEHT does not appear to increase the risk of disease dissemination, it has been investigated as a stand-alone treatment for patients with advanced disease and who have exhausted all other treatment options. This report is a descriptive review of papers in oncology which report on the use of mEHT as a stand-alone treatment in a palliative setting. We aim to establish whether there is motivation for the development of trials to further investigate mEHT as a monotherapy in a palliative setting. Methods: A literature search was conducted using the key words “Oncothermia”, “modulated electro-hyperthermia” and “monotherapy”, and case reports were excluded. Only studies which applied mEHT without ChT or RT; for palliative intent; when conventional therapies have failed; or when no further options are available, were included. Results: Six phase I/II studies on tumours of the liver, brain, pancreas, and stomach were included. The studies demonstrated the safety of mEHT; disease stabilisation; and improved quality of life. Conclusion: mEHT may have a role in the palliative management of certain tumours in the absence of any other treatment options. The development of robustly designed studies on mEHT for palliative management of oncology patients is motivated.

Modulated Electro-Hyperthermia, Palliative Care, Monotherapy, Cancer

Minnaar, C. , Szigeti, G. , Szasz, A. and Kotzen, J. (2022) Review on the Use of Modulated Electro-Hyperthermia as a Stand-Alone Therapy in a Palliative Setting: Potential for Further Research?. Journal of Cancer Therapy, 13, 362-377. doi: 10.4236/jct.2022.136032.