Kingdom approves oncothermia for cancer treatment
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has approved the use of oncothermia (modulated electrohyperthermia, mEHT), the latest complementary cancer treatment technology. The treatment is already in use in over 30 countries.
The treatment gives cancer patients enhanced quality of life, improved survival rates, and comfort during the various stages of treatment as well as promotes their physical and psychological wellbeing.
“Oncothermia is basically developed from the traditional oncological hyperthermia method, one of the oldest methods in fighting diseases,” said Hani Mohammed Saeed Yamani, general manager of HYE, exclusive agents of oncothermia devices in the GCC.
“Oncothermia does not raise the body temperature. It raises tumor cells temperature to 43 degree Celsius, while keeping the surrounding healthy tissues at core body temperature, or slightly higher, unlike conventional hyperthermia methods.”
He added: “The new technology uses a modulated electric field of 150 W, with a carrier frequency of 13.56 MHz that is generated by electrodes. The moving electrode is positioned in accordance with the body area being treated, while a second, stationary electrode always remains in a fixed position below the patient.”
Unlike the traditional hyperthermia, oncothermia targets only the tumor area, leaving the surrounding tissue unaffected. Conductivity in malignant cells is higher than that of normal cells, which means that the electric field applied will reach all malignant cells, increasing their temperature.
Yamani said the treatment is safe and non-poisonous as it uses low energy levels and frequency fields. It provides various treatment options using oncothermia for advanced incurable tumors, whether or not they can be surgically removed, as well as recurrent and metastatic cancers and prostate cancer.
Oncothermia is not a standalone cancer treatment; it is provided as a complementary treatment. Studies have shown that applying oncothermia together with radiation therapy or chemotherapy, can be highly effective, and can strongly enhance the effectiveness of other treatments.
Consultants in Saudi Arabia are currently being introduced to this new technology and its benefits, as well as the research conducted by András Szász, the inventor of this treatment, to help ease the pain of cancer patients and assist in their healing process.