Sure, it should be okay as I found his email address from a published paper anyway, which is accessible by anyone. Email:
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I also found out recently University of Arizona published a paper in 2019 on Thermo-Chemotherapy using gemcitabine & docetaxel. Dr.Donald L. Lamm email
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It is very difficult to say which method is better as chemotherapy drugs were different, heating methods were different and patients selections were not exactly the same. Nevertheless, The approach which University of Arizona used seem to give better efficacy - 55% vs 33% (Duke) recurrence free after 2 years. I was particularly surprised to see that 55% recurrence free after 2 years for patients BCG did not work is much higher than 25% of recently approved MERCK Keytruda for BCG unresponsive patients.
I have listed a few notable differences in their approaches between Duke University and University of Iowa.
The list is from comparing two published papers. I have listed listed the links to the two papers.
Chemotherapy drug used
Duke : Mitomycin C
Univercity of Arizona : Gemistabine and Docetaxcel
Heating method
Duke : Radio Frequency using BSD-2000 Deep Regional Hyperthermia machine by Prexar Medical
www.pyrexar.com/hyperthermia/bsd-2000
University of Arizona
1. Keep warming bladder by inserting a Foley balloon catheter and fill it with 43–45°C warm water.
2. 200 mg Gemcitabine in 10 mL of warm water is instilled. The patient rotate while the water in the Foley
balloon is exchanged every 20 minutes with warm water.
3. After one hour, the Gemcitabine is emptied and 20 mg of Docetaxel in 10 mL of warm water is instilled,
and the catheter is removed. The patients are instructed to retain the fluid in their bladder for 120
minutes.
Frequency of the treatment
Duke University For induction, 6 weekly-instillations, followed by monthly for 4 months.
University of Arizona For induction, 6 weekly-instillations, followed by 3 weekly-instillations af 3,6 and 9 mth.
Efficacy - Recurrence Free/Cystectomy Free survival rate
Duke University 15 patients
1. 10 (67%) subjects experienced recurrent bladder cancer, with a median time to recurrence of 15.4
months, but none of these recurrences progressed to muscle invasive.
2. Of the 10 subjects that recurred with bladder cancer, six (60%) underwent radical cystectomy at a
median time of 20.1 months from study enrollment. Pathological stage at cystectomy was pTis in five
subjects, pT1 in one subject, and pelvic nodes were negative in all patients (median node count = 15)
University of Arizona 60 patients
1. 60 patients received treatment with a median follow-up of 14.9 months.
55% at 2 years recurrence free.
2. Of the 60 subjects, 3 underwent cystectomy. Of the 60 subjects, 3 has progression.
Duke University of study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24490762/
University of Arizona study
repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/641181