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Siteman Cancer Center is now offering superficial and interstitial hyperthermia, using the Pyrexar Medical BSD-500, to their cancer patients. The cancer center is located at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital within the Washington University Medical Center complex in the Central West End area of St. Louis, Missouri.

Although the system is utilized to treat a variety of indications, Dr. Imran Zoberi, Chief of Hyperthermia Service and Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology at Barnes-Jewish, is targeting recurrent chest wall tumors. Issues related to the treatment of recurrent breast cancer include radiation dosage limitations, post-surgical skin folds, scarring, and lesions that can make this form of recurrent breast cancer a challenge to treat. Dr. Zoberi, along with William Straube, Research Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, has been long-time users of hyperthermia as an adjunct to radiotherapy. The new BSD-500 has replaced a retired Labthermics Sonotherm 1000.

According to a randomized phase III clinical trial (Jones study) published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and conclusions of a meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, adding hyperthermia to radiation therapy can potentially double complete response overusing radiation alone in recurrent breast cancer.

Randomized trial of hyperthermia and radiation for superficial tumors.Randomized trial of hyperthermia and radiation for superficial tumors.
J Clin Oncol. 2005 May 1;23(13):3079-85.
Jones EL, Oleson JR, Prosnitz LR, Samulski TV, Vujaskovic Z, Yu D, Sanders LL, Dewhirst MW.

Hyperthermia and Radiation Therapy in Locoregional Recurrent Breast Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016 Apr
Datta NR, Puric E, Klingbiel D, Gomez S, Bodis S.

One of our goals at Pyrexar Medical is to connect and share all of the significant advancements in hyperthermia from around the world. We believe that access to information, sharing of data, and participating in a global effort can give access to hyperthermia to more people.

We have started a new section on our website called Opinion Leaders. The purpose of this section is to initiate conversation and make new connections among physicians and researchers currently in the field. We want to create a community for those centers that wish to to add hyperthermia to their standard of care. We also believe this may give researchers an accelerated path to clinical studies by offering a more substantial patient database.

Current hyperthermia-focused conferences are in place but often lack the critical mass to expand hyperthermia centers in a meaningful way. There also requires the global data sharing necessary to move phase III studies forward. For example, the Hyperthermia European Adjuvant Trial (HEAT) is a randomized clinical phase III study comparing chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy plus hyperthermia in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Initiated in 2012, and with an estimated enrollment of 336 participants, the study hopes to populate sometime 2020. Seven years to generate a viable population study and another two years of data analysis. Could future studies move more rapidly if we had a global collaboration?

We hope we can advance this concept soon. Today, we want you to meet Dr. Nagraj Huilgol, our first entry in our Opinion Leaders directory.

We just returned from a trip to India to attend the SCRAC (Society of Cancer Research and Communication) meeting in the coastal town of Juhu, Mumbai, India. We had the opportunity to meet radiation oncologists and cancer specialists from the region, and to present our pitch for hyperthermia. We have received positive indications that there will be several Pyrexar Medical Hyperthermia suites installed in India in 2019.

India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2024. Surpassing the population of China, it is expected to be home to more than 1.7 billion people by 2050. With this continuing growth, the demand for health services also grows. The opportunities in the country are vast, and it appears hyperthermia has a chance to gain a foothold as a valuable adjunct cancer treatment.

SCRAC 2019 Program

Introduction to MRI Imaging - Dr. Mitusha Verma; Nanavati Hospital
Texture analysis - a novel technique in Radio-genomics - Dr. Balaji Ganeshan; Chief Executive Officer TexRAD Ltd UK
Introduction to MRI with Hyperthermia - Mr. Mark Falkowski, CEO; Pyrexar Medical
MRI to study heat induced changes for diagnostics and MRTI - Dr. Nagraj Huilgol; Nanavati Hospital
Group discussion to explore the possibilities to harness heat for diagnostics.

Last month the local affiliate in Salt Lake City, UT (headquarters for Pyrexar Medical), aired a five-part series on the use of hyperthermia in the treatment of cancer. The report focused on Gamma West Cancer Services, and their use of interstitial hyperthermia in combination with brachytherapy.

Key points from this series

Hyperthermia is a safe and highly effective cancer treatment
Several patients featured in the story did not expect survival before hyperthermia
Excellent adjunct treatment for Brachytherapy with similar treatment planning

We have added English language captions to the video series. Language captioning is an excellent opportunity to share this life-saving information on your social media websites. The more individuals that learn about this treatment, the more lives we can change.

Visit the Pyrexar Medical YouTube Channel or use the links below.