(RxWiki News) New research from Brazil details a small clinical trial in patients with inoperable liver cancers treated with magnetic fields.
While the paper suggests the entire body is affected by the magnetic field, study authors did not go into details of how they believe magnetic fields affect liver cancer.
Impressively, researchers stated that tumor progression was slowed or stopped in more than half of the patients in the trial.
"Ask your oncologist about clinical trials available to you."
Due to the previously untested nature of this magnetic therapy, only 41 patients with a diagnosed inoperable liver cancer were enrolled in the clinical trial. According to the research data, 17 patients had a documented slowed progression of their cancer, and one patient had their liver cancer begin to shrink.
The study design explains that a metal probe was briefly placed in the mouth of each patient, creating a low energy magnetic field for an hour per day as the main cancer treatment provided.
While researchers mention that certain magnetic frequencies may be specific to cancer, the paper did not go into further detail.
The research was a joint collaboration between the University of Alabama Birmingham and from University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
The team was led by Boris Pasche, MD/PhD. The study design builds on previous research by the same team concerning cancer specific electromagnetic frequencies.
Researchers claim their study fulfills the demand for alternatives for inoperable liver cancers, as the options for patients in that category are few.
“The very appealing advantage of this novel therapy is its capability to shrink tumors without collateral damage. This method literally finds cancer cells in the body and blocks their growth without affecting the growth of normal cells,” stated Dr. Pasche, the senior author of the study.
“Although liver transplant is the most effective treatment, that option will be available for only a fraction of patients. Better therapies are sorely needed for the larger number of HCC patients,” Pasche says.
The study authors have filed a patent related to the use of their magnetic treatment for cancer.
The study was published in the British Journal of Cancer.
