The next seminar on Thu 22nd June at 15:00 CET, organised by COST Action PROBONO and HB11 Energy will be given by Paul Moroz on the topic "Treatment of Liver Cancer Based on Nuclear Hyperthermia"
Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83000782456?pwd=aExhT2dYdkNHcUlnVnVsSmEvN2M3UT09
Meeting-ID: 830 0078 2456
Kenncode: 009486
Treatment of Liver Cancer Based on Nuclear Hyperthermia
by Paul Moroz
Western Australian Peritonectomy Service, Joondalup, Australia
& Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Abstract:
Approximately 1.2 million persons are diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer annually worldwide. These patients are treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, biologic and immunotherapy and various percutaneous ablation techniques. These treatments can palliate symptoms and buy time, but all have limiting side effects and are non-curative – patients usually succumb within a few weeks to 2 years.
These treatments ultimately fail due to their inability to destroy every cell in a tumour. Malignant tumours structurally heterogenous; they contain poorly vascularised regions which are not accessed by intravenous drugs and their cells may not have receptors to ingest antibodies carrying various therapeutics, including such as B-10.
Oncologic hyperthermia consists of the maintenance of tumour temperatures between 42-48C for 30 minutes. Under these conditions cells will undergo apoptosis or physiologic programmed cell death which is non-inflammatory and so likely without side effects and highly repeatable. Heat does not rely of vascular pathways to diffuse through tissues and so has the probability of treating more cells than a therapeutic relying on a vascular pathway or cellular uptake.
It is well established that, due to peculiarities of the liver’s blood supply, liver tumours can be selectively targeted with 32 micron spheres via hepatic arterial infusion. In this way it is possible to achieve an iron or yttrium concentration of 2 mg/g of tumour. It should therefore be possible to achieve a similar concentrations of B-11 in liver tumours via this approach.
Apparatus to deliver 60 MeV neutron and proton beams through the body onto liver tumours exists and is in clinical use today.
If we can deposit at least 2mg of B-11 per gram of liver tumour might a proton beam targeted onto the tumour cause aneutronic fusion with consequent hyperthermia of the liver tumour?
Bio:
Associate Professor Paul Moroz is a surgeon in Perth Western Australia who specialises in treating liver and peritoneal cancer. Paul is the director of the Western Australian Peritonectomy Service and Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at Curtin University. Paul also has degrees in mathematics, chemistry and a PhD in biophysics in which Paul developed arterial embolization of ferromagnetic particles to treat liver tumours successfully in an animal model with hyperthermia induced by the application of alternating current magnetic fields. Paul is currently investigating the possibility of developing analogous methods of liver cancer hyperthermia based on other types of energy transducing particles and energy sources, including nuclear reactions. Paul is looking to partner with a physics group if a potentially successful project pathway can be proposed.
