A pilot study of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Effects on survival and palliation of general symptoms

Abstract

Abstract. The inhibitory effects of magnetic fields (MFs) on tumor cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo have been reported in previous studies. However, the effects of MFs in the treatment of cancer have not been described in clinical trials. We investigated the effects of 420 r/min, 0.4-T extremely low-frequency MFs (ELF-MFs) on the survival and palliation of general symptoms in 13 advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Toxicity and side-effects were assessed according to WHO criteria. The treatment area included the primary tumor site, metastatic sites and metastatic lymph nodes. Additionally, the patients were treated 2 h per day, 5 days per week for 6-10 weeks. The changes in general symptoms were analyzed during ELF-MF treatment and 2 weeks after the completion of therapy. Results of physical examination, routine analysis of blood, ECG and liver function, biochemical and kidney function tests were evaluated before and following treatment. All 13 patients were followed up by outpatient service or telephone interview. Our results demonstrated that decreased pleural effusion, remission of shortness of breath, relief of cancer pain, increased appetite, improved physical strength, regular bowel movement and better sleep quality was detected in 2 (15.4%), 5 (38.5%), 5 (38.5%), 6 (46.2%), 9 (69.2%), 1 (7.7%) and 2 (15.4%) patients, respectively. However, the palliation of symptoms in 2 (15.4%) patients was observed during therapy and disappeared at treatment termination. No severe toxicity or side-effects were detected in our trial. The median survival was 6.0 months (95% CI, 1.0-11.0). The 1-and 2-year survival rates were 31.7 and 15.9%, respectively. This study is the first to describe survival and palliation of general symptoms in advanced NSCLC patients treated with ELF-MFs. As an effective, well-tolerated and safe treatment choice, ELF-MFs may prolong survival and improve general symptoms of advanced NSCLC patients. However, this treatment strategy requires further research.

A thermodynamic approach to the ‘mitosis/apoptosis’ ratio in cancer

“…We have adopted 4 h as the standard incubation time for the assay, absorbance was measured at 595 nm using a Biorad microtiter plates reader. When exposed for 5 consecutive days to a 50 Hz square wave at intensity of 5 µT, the cells showed a reduction of the growth rate (as measured by the tetrazolioum blue assay), compared to unexposed cells, and analogous to the aforementioned reports in the literature [64][65][66][67][68][69][70]; similarly, growth inhibition was observed also with exposure to the same frequency, at 245 µT.…”

“…3(b). This points to the benefits of a prolonged treatment strategy with low-level fields [63][64][65][66][67][68][69].…”

Role of an Atomic-Level-Based Approach for Improving Cancer Therapy

“…Results of a clinical trial devoted to studying the effects on palliation of general symptoms as well as survival were reported by C. Sun et al [56] in 13 advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with 400 mT, 0-50 Hz magnetic fields 120 min/day for 6-10 weeks.…”

Systematic simulation of tumor cell invasion and migration in response to time-varying rotating magnetic field

“…In general, tumor cells migrate from primary tumor site to surrounding tumor stroma, ultimately transforming into circulating tumor cells (CTCs), leading to the occurrence of malignant tumor, which is a major cause of tumor deaths (Woodhouse et al 1997). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most malignant subtype of breast cancer, is characterized by high metastasis and recurrence (Sun et al 2012). The five-year disease-free survival rate of TNBC patients following surgery is notably below 30%, significantly lower than other subtypes (Kim et al 2018).…”

“…Dynamic magnetic field are characterized by variations in both intensity and direction over time, with the rotating magnetic field (RMF) serving as a notable example. Compared to static magnetic field, RMF is considered safer and capable of providing periodic mechanical stimulation, resulting in more substantial mechanical effects on cells, which has attracted more attention in tumor therapy in recent years (Ren et al 2017;Sun et al 2012;Zha et al 2018). However, RMF is characterized by complex parameters, multi-dimension and multi-effects, which make it difficult to measure its magnetic strength and force.…”