Thermo-magnetic surgery for experimental renal cancer.

Thermo-magnetic surgery is an innovative modality in the treatment of malignancies. This unique combination can produce selectively controlled destruction of deep tumors. Heating of the magnetic metallic compounds of ferrosilicone by hysteresis produces temperatures which are incompatible with cancer cell survival. The intense focal heating causes a coagulation necrosis. Damage to surrounding normal tissue can be avoided by careful temperature monitoring and power control of the magnetic field. Cell destruction in the target tissue has been demonstrated by light and electron microscopy. Reproducible and predictable VX2 renal carcinomas in rabbits have been produced and used as the tumor model in the initial experiments of this research project. A clinical trial with selected cancer patients, performed with this technique of thermo-magnetic surgery, is now a reasonable and feasible procedure.