The electromagnetic detection of prostatic cancer: evaluation of diagnostic accuracy

The Accuracy of Tissue Resonance Interaction Method Probe (Trimprob Tm) in Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Prostatic Cancer. Analysis of the Results of 782 Patients

The aim of our study was to evaluate the real utility of the TRIMprob test before TRUS-guided biopsy approach, putting in relation the number of positive tests of the TRIMprob with the number of positive prostate biopsies that were performed successfully. Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV (Positive predicted value), NPV (Negative predicted value) of the TRIMprob test were analyzed with statistical software package for Social Sciences (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois USA).

Predictive role of Trimprob associated with multiparametric MRI in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

Objectives

To evaluate the predictive value of TRIMprob test to detect prostate cancer (PCa) in patients referred to prostate biopsy (PB).

Material and Methods

Patients with PSA <10ng/mL and rectal exam without findings suggestive of prostate cancer were selected for TRIMprob evaluation. Exam was performed by a single operator through transperineal approach. Patients admitted for the study were submitted to TRIMprob and multiparametric magnetic resonance (mpMRI) and posteriorly to PB.

Results

In total, 77 patients were included. TRIMprob showed evidences of PCa in 25 (32.5%) and was negative in 52 patients (67.5%). The rate of detection of prostate cancer at biopsy was higher in patients with positive TRIMprob (16/25; 64.0%) than in patients with negative TRIMprob (11/52; 21.1%; p<0.001). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of TRIMprob were respectively 61.5%, 82.0%, 64.0%, 80.3% and 74.0%. ROC curve showed the following areas under the curve values for TRIMprob, mpMRI and combination of TRIMprob + mpMRI: 0.706; 0.662 and 0.741 respectively. At combined analysis, when both TRIMprob and mpMRI were negative for prostate cancer, accuracy was 96.3% or only 1 in 27 PB was positive (3.7%).

Conclusions

Trimprob had similar predictive value for PCa in patients submitted to PB as mpMRI. Combined TRIMprob and mpMRI showed higher accuracy than when performed singly.

Dielectric characterization of healthy and malignant colon tissues in the 0.5-18 GHz frequency band

Several reports over the last few decades have shown that the dielectric properties of healthy and malignant tissues of the same body organ usually show different values. However, no intensive dielectric studies of human colon tissue have been performed, despite colon cancer's being one of the most common types of cancer in the world. In order to provide information regarding this matter, a dielectric characterization of healthy and malignant colon tissues is presented. Measurements are performed on ex vivo surgery samples obtained from 20 patients, using an open-ended coaxial probe in the 0.5-18 GHz frequency band. Results show that the dielectric constant of colon cancerous tissue is 8.8% higher than that of healthy tissues (p  =  0.002). Besides, conductivity is about 10.6% higher, but in this case measurements do not have statistical significance (p  =  0.038). Performing an analysis per patient, the differences in dielectric constant between healthy and malignant tissues appear systematically. Particularized results for specific frequencies (500 MHz, 900 MHz, 2.45 GHz, 5 GHz, 8.5 GHz and 15 GHz) are also reported. The findings have potential application in early-stage cancer detection and diagnosis, and can be useful in developing new tools for hyperthermia treatments as well as creating electromagnetic models of healthy and cancerous tissues.

Tissue resonance interaction accurately detects colon lesions: A double-blind pilot study

AIM: To investigated the performance of the tissue resonance interaction method (TRIM) for the non-invasive detection of colon lesions.

METHODS: We performed a prospective single-center blinded pilot study of consecutive adults undergoing colonoscopy at the University Hospital in Sassari, Italy. Before patients underwent colonoscopy, they were examined by the TRIMprobe which detects differences in electromagnetic properties between pathological and normal tissues. All patients had completed the polyethylene glycol-containing bowel prep for the colonoscopy procedure before being screened. During the procedure the subjects remained fully dressed. A hand-held probe was moved over the abdomen and variations in electromagnetic signals were recorded for 3 spectral lines (462-465 MHz, 930 MHz, and 1395 MHz). A single investigator, blind to any clinical information, performed the test using the TRIMprob system. Abnormal signals were identified and recorded as malignant or benign (adenoma or hyperplastic polyps). Findings were compared with those from colonoscopy with histologic confirmation. Statistical analysis was performed by χ² test.

RESULTS: A total of 305 consecutive patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled over a period of 12 months. The most frequent indication for colonoscopy was abdominal pain (33%). The TRIMprob was well accepted by all patients; none spontaneously complained about the procedure, and no adverse effects were observed. TRIM proved inaccurate for polyp detection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and they were excluded leaving 281 subjects (mean age 59 ± 13 years; 107 males). The TRIM detected and accurately characterized all 12 adenocarcinomas and 135/137 polyps (98.5%) including 64 adenomatous (100%) found. The method identified cancers and polyps with 98.7% sensitivity, 96.2% specificity, and 97.5% diagnostic accuracy, compared to colonoscopy and histology analyses. The positive predictive value was 96.7% and the negative predictive value 98.4%. Among the 281 non-IBD subjects, there were 7 cases with discordant results (2.5%) between TRIMprob and the reference standard including 5 false positive results (1.8%) and 2 false negative (0.7%) results. The main limitation of the TRIMprob system is the need for trained operators.

CONCLUSION: The study confirmed that TRIM provides rapid, accurate, convenient and noninvasive means to identify individuals most likely to benefit from colonoscopy.

Noninvasive electromagnetic detection of bladder cancer

Objectives. Normal and neoplastic human tissues have different electromagnetic properties. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of noninvasive electromagnetic detection of bladder cancer (BC) by the tissue-resonance interaction method (TRIM-prob). Patients and Methods. Consecutive patients were referred for cystoscopy because of (i) microscopic or gross hematuria and/or irritative voiding symptoms and (ii) bladder ultrasounds and urinary cytology findings negative or just suspicious of malignancy. Patients were first submitted to TRIM-prob bladder scanning by a single investigator and then to cystoscopy by another investigator blind to TRIM-prob data. Results. In 125 evaluated patients cystoscopy was positive for BC in 47 and negative in the remaining 78; conversely, TRIM-prob bladder scanning was positive for BC in 53 and negative in 72. In particular, TRIM-prob scanning yielded 7 false positives and only one false negative; therefore, its overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were 97.9%, 89.9%, 86.8%, 98.6%, and 93.6%, respectively. Conclusions. TRIM-prob bladder scanning was a simple and quite accurate method for non-invasive electromagnetic detection of BC. If the elevated positive and negative predictive values will be replicated in further well-designed studies, it could be used to screen asymptomatic patients at high risk of BC.

Cancer physics: diagnostics based on damped cellular elastoelectrical vibrations in microtubules

This paper describes a proposed biophysical mechanism of a novel diagnostic method for cancer detection developed recently by Vedruccio. The diagnostic method is based on frequency selective absorption of electromagnetic waves by malignant tumors. Cancer is connected with mitochondrial malfunction (the Warburg effect) suggesting disrupted physical mechanisms. In addition to decreased energy conversion and nonutilized energy efflux, mitochondrial malfunction is accompanied by other negative effects in the cell. Diminished proton space charge layer and the static electric field around the outer membrane result in a lowered ordering level of cellular water and increased damping of microtubule-based cellular elastoelectrical vibration states. These changes manifest themselves in a dip in the amplitude of the signal with the fundamental frequency of the nonlinear microwave oscillator-the core of the diagnostic device-when coupled to the investigated cancerous tissue via the near-field. The dip is not present in the case of healthy tissue.

Diagnosis of rectal cancer by Tissue Resonance Interaction Method

Background

Since population screening has the potential to reduce mortality from rectal cancer (RC), novel methods with improved cost-effectiveness warrant consideration. In a previous pilot study, we found that the rapid, inexpensive and non-invasive electromagnetic detection of RC is a highly specific and sensitive technique. The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate the prediction accuracy of electromagnetic detection of RC.

Methods

304 eligible subjects were consecutively enrolled in our Institute and subjected to electromagnetic detection followed by colonoscopy and histopathologic analysis of biopsies. A putative RC carrier status was attributed to subjects showing an electromagnetic signal < 50 units (U).

Results

RC patients showed a significantly lower electromagnetic signal (40.9 ± 0.9 U; mean ± S.E.) than did non-RC subjects (79.2 ± 1.4 U; P < 2.2e-16). At a threshold < 50 U, electromagnetic detection identified 103 putative patients, whereas colonoscopy detected 108 patients, with an overlap of 91 patients between the two methods. The 15.7% false-negative rate by electromagnetic detection was brought to zero by raising the threshold value to 70 U; on the other hand, such a threshold increased the false-positive rate to 30%.

Conclusion

Electromagnetic detection of RC at a signal threshold < 70 U appears to eliminate false-negative results. Although colonoscopy would still be required in examining the false-positives associated with the < 70 U electromagnetic threshold, the need for this method would be reduced. Thus, electromagnetic detection represents a new accurate, rapid, simple, and inexpensive tool for early detection of RC that merits testing in large population-based programs.

Tissue Resonance Interaction Method (TRIMprob) has the potential to be used alongside the recognized tests in the screening protocols for prostate cancer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the magnetic induction technique with a nonlinear tunable oscillator (the Tissue Resonance Interaction Method [TRIMprob]) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (CaP). Overall, 148 men were split into two groups (patients at risk of CaP [Group 1] and controls [Group 2]) and evaluated with the TRIMprob. Group 1 consisted of 100 patients (mean age: 63.8 +/- 7.2 years) with elevated prostate-specific antigen (>4 ng/mL) levels and/or abnormal digital rectal examination. Eleven patients (Group 2a, mean age: 59.5 +/- 7.3) with previously biopsy-proven CaP served as positive controls. In addition, 37 voluntary men (Group 2b, mean age: 39.8 +/- 10.4) with normal prostate-specific antigen and digital rectal examination without lower urinary tract symptoms served as negative controls. Non-linear resonance was analyzed at 465 MHz and a cut-off value of 40 units was detected as the resonance value for the best threshold to distinguish benign conditions from CaP after transrectal ultrasonography-guided biopsy with a standard 10-12 core technique in Group 1. Mean resonance values (+/-standard deviation) with the TRIMprob examination for patients in Groups 1 and 2b were 36.72 +/- 22.35 and 73.64 +/- 10.06, respectively, whereas for patients in Group 2a, it was 13.73 +/- 12.12 (P < 0.01). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the TRIMprob using the study cohort of Group 1 were found as 76%, 61.3%, 39.6% and 88.5%, respectively. Despite some technical limitations, the non-invasive TRIMprob examination may have a role in screening protocols for CaP.