In a recent study titled “Optimization of a therapeutic electromagnetic field (EMF) to retard breast cancer tumor growth and vascularity”, published in Cancer Cell International, a team of researchers led by Dr. Ivan L Cameron, from the University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio, demonstrated the effects of a therapeutic electromagnetic field (EMF) device on the development and angiogenesis of breast tumors.
There have been studies demonstrating the efficiency of a novel electromagnetic field in inhibiting breast tumor growth and angiogenesis. The authors wanted to add further evidence to the “Complex Magnetic Field Generating Device” (“magnetic device”) on tumor growth in a mouse model of breast cancer.
This magnetic device used (Bio-Dynamics) was able to generate wave signals of 10 to 20 milli-Tesla (mT) magnetic field intensity at 120 pulses per second. Different treatment doses were tested in mice bearing the murine 16/C breast cancer cell line.
EMF treatment had the duration of 12 days, starting on the 8th day after tumor implantation. The results showed that EMF exposure at 10mT intensity was able to significantly suppress tumor growth compared to control. However, increasing the length of exposure (from 3 minutes to 10 or 40 minutes per day) at 10mT intensity did not improve tumor suppression.
On the other hand, when the team increased EMF intensity from 10 to 15 to 20 mT at 10 minutes per treatment, they observed a strong correlation with decreased tumor volume.
The results indicate that a transitory EMF exposure once or twice a day for nine days can result in a significant decrease in tumor size when compare to controls. All groups treated with EMF showed a slower tumor growth when compared to those who did not receive treatment.
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Furthermore, this beneficial EMF effect seems to be dose-dependent, since exposure to 10 or 15 or 20mT for 10 minutes per day caused a decrease in tumor volume of 25% to 41% when compared to the control group.
The researchers investigated the effect of EMF treatment at the level of tumor vascularization, necrosis and viable area. They observed that EMF was able to reduce the amount of tumor vasculature developed and increase tumor cell death, with the best anti-angiogenic effect achieved at 15 mT for 10 min/d.
“EMF therapy aimed at suppression of tumor growth and vascularization may prove a safe alternative for patients whether they are or are not candidates for conventional cancer therapy”, the authors write in their study.