Researchers at Wits University have successfully applied a new technique to enhance the effectiveness of heat therapy as a way to help treat cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the second leading cancer in women in South Africa, with current estimates that 10,702 new cases are diagnosed and 5,870 women die from the disease each year.
For any woman diagnosed with cervical cancer, the side effects of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (including hair loss) are already a daunting prospect – let alone fighting the cancer itself. But new approaches in medicine now look at targeting specific vulnerabilities in cancer cells and working with the immune system as part of a holistic cancer treatment plan.
One such breakthrough arriving on South African shores is in the space of hyperthermia, which involves heating up a tumour to sensitise it to radiation or chemotherapy.
Although hyperthermia itself has been around for decades, the cost and complexity of the technology required to safely heat tumours has hindered its uptake in countries like South Africa. A new technology, called modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT), now applies modulated radiofrequency waves to safely and selectively target the tumour, making the treatment more affordable and simpler to deliver.
Research results announced by a team from Wits University this year show mEHT has the potential to be a powerful tool in the treatment of cervical cancer in South Africa.
What’s the connection to heat?
The use of heat to treat disease dates to ancient Greek Civilisation – “hyper” meaning increase, and “therme” meaning heat. In fact, Hippocrates (460-370 BC), the father of modern medicine, expressed a strong belief in the power of heat to heal.
Doctors began applying heat to manage cancer tumours as early as the 1900s, although the technology back then did not allow for the safe use of heat to treat cancer. Fast forward to today, and doctors now have a more scientific understanding of heat’s effects on tissues, as well as the technology for more precise and controlled methods for delivering heat.
Hyperthermia is already a well-established treatment option in many countries, with a list of applications growing as more trials are done on different types of cancers.
It is typically used to treat large, inoperable tumours or tumours that are not responding well to other treatments. International and local studies have shown that hyperthermia has the potential to improve treatment outcomes while also reducing treatment costs.
How does modulated electro-hyperthermia work?
The mEHT technology creates an electro-magnetic field to heat the tumour to between 39 and 41 degrees Celsius, without affecting healthy tissue. This makes the tumour more susceptible to the damage done by radiation, and in some cases chemotherapy, and slows down the cancer’s ability to repair itself. The technique is also able to trigger an immune response to the cancer.
Hyperthermia is therefore used in conjunction with standard treatments to increase the impact of the cancer treatment, without increasing side effects.
Cervical cancer burden in South Africa
In 2006, mEHT was launched in the European market and in 2014, a team of researchers at Wits University began testing this technology for cervical cancer treatment. The researchers investigated the addition of mEHT to standard treatment protocols for locally advanced cervical cancer and monitored the participants for five years post-treatment.
This 10-year trial has been groundbreaking for several reasons: It’s the first phase III trial on the technology, the first hyperthermia trial conducted in Africa, and the first hyperthermia trial to include HIV-positive participants.
The results announced recently are encouraging. It shows that adding mEHT to chemotherapy and radiation can cost-effectively improve patients’ quality of life and chances of achieving a five-year disease-free survival status. Using mEHT as a support to chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer, the research has proven it to be a cost-saving, successful way to treat patients.
This is particularly significant considering the inequity in access to screening and treatment that exists in South Africa.
Dr. Carrie Anne Minnaar, the PhD doctor at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre University who led the study, says: “The findings of our research go beyond statistical success; they offer a potential paradigm shift in how we can approach cervical cancer treatment.”
While access to this technology and trained professionals is still just emerging in South Africa, the release of these results should accelerate its adoption as well as promote trials on other tumour types.
If you want more information on hyperthermia, please visit www.onc-hyperthermia.co.za. To find out if you are eligible for hyperthermia treatment, chat to your oncologist or contact carrie@onc-hyperthermia.co.za
