Press Releases 2007
Co-operation between GSF and LMU – Klinikum Großhadern improves outlook for sarcoma patients: Improvement of tumor response and disease-free survival by regional hyperthermia proven in a randomised phase III study
Regional hyperthermia, combined with chemotherapy, improves the chances of local control and survival of patients with high-risk soft tissue sarcomas. At the Annual General Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago with more than 30.000 participants, the GSF scientist and clinician, Prof. Dr. med. Dipl.-Biochem. Rolf D. Issels (photo), presented as the study coordinator the results of the first, randomised phase III study in which the efficacy and superiority of regional hyperthermia combined-therapy methods were proven, in comparison with the results of the same treatment protocol without hyperthermia.
Photo: Ulla Baumgart [image in print resolution 300 dpi]
The study recruited more than 340 high-risk patients with deep, local soft-tissue sarcomas and showed a significant improvement in the response rate (³ 50% reduction in size of tumour) and in the disease-free survival of those patients who were randomised to the hyperthermia arm. There was no bias between both arms with regard to applied surgery, radiotherapy of specific characteristic of the randomised patients.
This important study was coordinated by the Clinical Co-operation Group Hyperthermia, which has existed since 1999 between the GSF – National Research Centre for Environment and Health in Munich-Neuherberg and the Großhadern Medical Centre of the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich. Their spectrum of translational research extends from clinical investigation of regional hyperthermia for cancer therapy right up to biological research in the areas of immunobiology, cell biology and biochemistry. The head of the Clinical Co-operation Group Hyperthermia, Prof. Rolf Issels, has been working at GSF, since the mid-80s, and developed preclinical and clinical data on the use of heat exposure as an innovative cancer therapy. From the beginning, tumours of soft tissues and bones, which start from the connective tissue and are called sarcomas, were taken as malignant tumour entity for clinical investigations. The scientists were especially interested – together with related biological research - in the question why such sarcomas are better treated with regional hyperthermia combined chemotherapy and other forms of hyperthermia multimodality strategies.
In the clinical application of regional deep hyperthermia, tumours are warmed up to 40-44° Celsius, by electromagnetic energy deposition within the tumour and the surrounding tissue. At temperatures above 42° C, cells begin to die under heat exposure. The combination therapy developed at the GSF and the Großhadern Medical Centre exploits the fact that tumour cells are more sensitive already at 40° C to the systemic chemotherapy. There might be also a positive effect on the immune system.
Within the past years, the phase III data gained in the treatment of high-risk soft tissue sarcomas have encouraged the research group to apply their knowledge to other tumour entities. At the present time, within the framework of a “part body hyperthermia” project plan, they are investigating whether the combination of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy with regional hyperthermia leads to better treatment results in cases of recurrent rectum cancers and especially in pancreatic carcinoma. Under the guidance of GSF, a “Virtual Institute of Excellence” has been founded between the Clinical Co-operation Group Hyperthermia at the Großhadern Medical Centre and the Campus Charité of the University Medical Centre in Berlin, in order to promote translational research, which will initially be sponsored for three years by the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.
The Scientific – Technical Director of GSF, Prof. Dr Wess, regards the strategy of the transferred research as confirmed. “The concept of research in co-operation groups together with clinical partners and the creation of clinical research platforms is an essential prerequisite for the prompt application of knowledge from fundamental research to clinical practice and vice versa.”
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Neuherberg, 11 July 2007