Thermo-Chemotherapy available in the USA?

3 years 6 months ago #59825 by joea73
Replied by joea73 on topic Thermo-Chemotherapy available in the USA?
Sure, it should be okay as I found his email address from a published paper anyway, which is accessible by anyone. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I also found out recently University of Arizona published a paper in 2019 on Thermo-Chemotherapy using gemcitabine & docetaxel. Dr.Donald L. Lamm email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

3 years 6 months ago #59823 by Sarag
Replied by Sarag on topic Thermo-Chemotherapy available in the USA?
Joea? I would like to get in direct contact with Dr Brant Inman. Could you share his contact info with me? Thank you.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

3 years 7 months ago #59766 by Sarag
Replied by Sarag on topic Thermo-Chemotherapy available in the USA?
Joea73 - Wow. Thank you!!!!!

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

3 years 7 months ago #59765 by joea73
Replied by joea73 on topic Thermo-Chemotherapy available in the USA?
I just received a response from Dr. Brant Inman - Cary N. Robertson Associate Professor of Urologic Oncology &Co-Director Duke Prostate and Urologic Cancer Center.

Below is his reply.

I think we are the only place that has it. It is only approved for use instead of BCG during shortage…so not presently possible to use unless patient is coming from area without BCG

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

3 years 7 months ago #59764 by joea73
Replied by joea73 on topic Thermo-Chemotherapy available in the USA?
It is also called hyperthermia chemotherapy.

Several clinical trials have been done including involving US university hospitals. But I do not know which hospitals
provide such therapy in a clinical environment. I tried to call to the chief investigator, an oncology doctor at Duke University in NC who had completed one of the clinical trials which heated bladder using a radiofrequency device and instilled Mitomycin-c chemotherapy drug (Ref.1). Anyway, I have sent an email to Duke university if they can provide us the name of hospitals who are offering such therapy. When and if I will have received their response, I will post it. NIH (National Cancer Institute) states that heperthermia combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy has been clinically tested on a small scale but no widely used in clinically. (Ref 2).

Anyway, most hyperthermia chemotherapies are used for high risk non muscle invasive bladder cancers patients whose BCG treatment did not work. It is based upon the assumption that heat combined with chemotherapy, i.e. Mitomycin-c will give better efficacy than giving chemotherapy alone.

See Ref 3 for overview and a compilation of other studies

Method of heating
- radiofrequency emitting intravesical catheters (e.g. Synergo, operating at a frequency of 915 MHz,
- externally heated chemotherapy fluid circulation in the bladder,
- intravesical magnetic nanoparticles, and external deep regional radiofrequency transmission with 70–110 MHZ

Assumptions why heating will improve efficacy
1) Tumor cells increase surface expression of several markers (e.g., MHC class I) when exposed to heat.
2) Heat causes the tumor to release HSPs, which in turn activates the host immune response.
3) Heated tumor cells release exosomes that carry tumor antigens to the immune system.
4) Heat alone directly activates the immune system.
5) Heat renders the tumor vasculature more permeable which allows for better trafficking of immune cells.

Additionally, hyperthermia is an interesting topic of research because of the sensitizing effect with chemotherapy and/ or radiotherapy. Hyperthermia has been shown to enhance drug delivery and thermosensitizes cancer cells to certain antineoplastic drugs.

Efficacy
I have noticed that most clinical trials are small scale. The clinical trial of Duke university involved 15 patients.
73% of patients completed induction and maintenance for a dropout rate of 27%. Recurrence-free survival at 24 months was 33%, but this was maintained beyond 3 years. None of the recurrences progressed to muscle invasive disease. Six of the ten patients who experienced recurrence underwent a cystectomy and all were node negative with no greater than T1 disease.

Ref 1 - Clinical trials clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00734994?term=hyperthermia+therapy&cond=bladder+cancer&draw=2&rank=1

Ref 2 - NIH www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/surgery/hyperthermia-fact-sheet


Ref 3 - Good overview study www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5440174/

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

3 years 7 months ago #59763 by Sarag
Replied by Sarag on topic Thermo-Chemotherapy available in the USA?
Very interesting. Thank you

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Cynthiaeddieksara.anne