Microwave Radiation Can Kill Breast Cancer Cells

In a phase I clinical trial, researchers found that one to three weeks following a single treatment by a new microwave radiation system, advanced breast cancer tumors typically were reduced in size or destroyed by about 50% in eight out of 10 patients. Phase II clinical trials will now be conducted.

In the procedure, two needle probes are used to sense and measure parameters during treatment. The focused microwave radiation does not heat the skin but heats the cancer cells to about 1150 F and kills them. Breast cancer cells have a high water content, around 80%, while healthy breast tissue contains only 20-60%. The new system has the potential to reduce or eliminate the use of conventional radiation. In the phase II trials, more than 100 women will receive microwave thermotherapy to treat cancer cells. The microwave technology has been licensed to Celsion Corp. (Columbia, MD, USA) by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA, USA).

The new technique was invented by Alan J. Fenn, a senior staff member of MIT's Air Defense Technology Division, based on research he had conducted on radar anti-jamming technology to detect missiles from space-borne satellites. "This is an out-patient procedure,” said Dr. Fenn. "Patients treated in the phase I trial went home with only one or two tiny band aids.”



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