Non-Invasive Radiofrequency Increases The Anticancer Effect Of Gemcitabine In Treating Pancreatic Cancer Via Autophagy

Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate. Currently the main treatment for unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma is chemotherapy based on gemcitabine (GCB) use. Trials of GCB, combined with radiation therapy and other cytotoxic agents, did not produce a substantial improvement in patient response over GCB alone. This indicates that new therapeutic approaches should be developed for the treatment of this disease. In our laboratory we developed a new method based on the use of non-invasive radiofrequency (RF) field. Electromagnetic energy produced by 220 MHz was shown to have low tissue specific absorption rate and therefore, excellent whole body tissue penetration with documented safety in humans exposed to the RF field for several hours. The RF frequency of our device is lower, 13.56 MHz and generates mild hyperthermia. In the current study we used human Panc-1 tumor cells, known for their poor response to GCB, and studied the effect of RF on tumor cells with and without GCB. Combination of GCB with RF (GCB+RF) significantly inhibited proliferation of Panc-1 cells in vitro when compared with either treatment alone (P Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2270. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2270