Low-intensity electromagnetic waves might help slow a quick-growing and deadly form of brain cancer, researchers report.
Patients with glioblastoma experienced slightly better overall survival and delayed recurrence of their brain cancer if their heads were exposed to a type of electromagnetic field therapy alongside conventional chemotherapy, the Swiss research team found.
This therapy, called tumor-treating fields, already is approved in the United States and could prove useful in tackling other forms of cancer, said lead researcher Dr. Roger Stupp, chairman of the department of oncology and cancer center at the University Hospital Zurich.
“This treatment may soon become a valuable addition to many situations where improved local tumor control by a noninvasive treatment is of importance,” Stupp said.
The tumor-treating field device resembles a swimmer’s cap, with insulated electrodes lining the interior, explained Dr. John Sampson, chief of neurosurgery at the Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C. Wires run from the cap to a battery-powered backpack.
When placed on a shaved head, the electrodes in the cap deliver low-intensity alternating electric fields to the brain, Sampson said.
These electric waves are believed to interfere with cancer cells’ ability to divide, slowing the progress of a tumor or even causing it to shrink, Stupp said.
The trial was funded by the device’s manufacturer, Novocure.
The study focused on people suffering from glioblastoma, which the researchers referred to as the most devastating malignancy of the central nervous system in adults. The cancer forms from the glue-like supportive tissue of the brain known as glial tissue, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
Most patients with glioblastoma die within one to two years of diagnosis, the researchers said in background information.
Read more: Webmd
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