Short-term outcomes of CyberKnife therapy for advanced high-risk tumors: A report of 160 cases

Optimized treatment with RF thermotherapy and immunotherapy combined with CyberKnife for advanced high-risk tumors: A clinical trial report

This study was conducted to evaluate the application value of optimized treatment with radiofrequency (RF) thermotherapy and immunotherapy combined with CyberKnife for advanced high-risk tumors. The database of 1,013 patients with 2,136 tumor lesions and 1,237 target areas who underwent treatment with CyberKnife between November, 2010 and November, 2012, was retrospectively reviewed. We randomly assigned 505 eligible patients (observation group) to RF thermotherapy and adoptive immunotherapy with cytokine-induced killer cells and the remaining 508 patients (control group) to no adjuvant treatment. The patients in the two groups were recorded on efficacy assessment according to imageological examination, World Health Organization criteria, Karnofsky performance status, or radioimmunoassay (RIA) detection. The effective rate of the observation group was 75.05%, whereas that of the control group was 58.06% (P<0.05). The results revealed that CyberKnife combined with hyperthermia and biological therapy are highly effective in improving the local tumor control rate. Further analysis of the Karnofsky score and RIA detection confirmed that this type of combination therapy significantly improved the quality of life. The optimized treatment of RF thermotherapy and immunotherapy combined with CyberKnife may act synergistically in eliminating tumor cells, confirming the efficacy of this type of treatment for patients with advanced malignant tumors.

Early efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy combined with adoptive immunotherapy for advanced malignancies

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) concentrates radiation to a predefined target, affecting all the cells within it. Adoptive immunotherapy is not restricted by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in recognizing and eliminating target cells. We investigated the effects of the combined modality of SBRT and adoptive immunotherapy on patients with advanced malignant tumors. The database of 316 patients with 845 tumors who underwent SBRT between April, 2010 and February, 2012 was retrospectively reviewed. Of the 316 patients, 145 received biological immunotherapy and were assigned into the observation group, whereas the remaining patients constituted the control group. Patients in the two groups were recorded on efficacy assessment, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), cell phenotype expression level in vitro and the percentages of lymphocyte subsets and ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. Following treatment, the total effectiveness [complete response (CR) + partial response (PR)], the KPS score, the percentages of lymphocyte subsets and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ lymphocyte ratio in the observation group were higher compared to those in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The expression of CD3⁺ and CD3⁺CD56⁺ cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells were increased from 56.76±4.54% and 11.32±2.96% to 94.67±4.46% and 32.65±1.12%, respectively, when cultured in vitro (P<0.01). The percentages of lymphocyte subsets and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ lymphocyte ratio were significantly increased compared to prior to treatment in the observation group (P<0.05). SBRT combined with adoptive immunotherapy may be a novel therapeutic option for patients with advanced malignant tumors.

The electromagnetic spectrum: current and future applications in oncology

The electromagnetic spectrum is composed of waves of various energies that interact with matter. When focused upon and directed at tumors, these energy sources can be employed as a means of lesion ablation. While the use of x-rays is widely known in this regard, a growing body of evidence shows that other members of this family can also achieve oncologic success. This article will review therapeutic application of the electromagnetic spectrum in current interventions and potential future applications.