New cancer treatment for late stage lung cancer that was developed at UK is approved for clinical trials

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have pioneered a new medical device for the treatment of late stage lung cancer, which has now been approved for clinical trials by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at UK, auniversity news release says.

The medical device, called “Exatherm Total Body Hyperthermia System (Exatherm-TBH),” is used in a treatment that heats a patient’s blood to about 107 degrees. The procedure takes approximately four hours under general anesthetic.

“Cancer cells are more susceptible to damage from heat than normal tissue, so the development of a safe method to deliver heat throughout the body may be a key step forward for advanced lung cancer patients,” Jeremiah Martin, surgical director of the UK Markey Cancer Center’s Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Clinic and part of the research team, said in the release.

Because this treatment “attacks cancer cells throughout the body all at once, the research team hopes the project will lead to a new and safe method for treating patients whose cancer has metastasized through the body,” says the release.

To learn more or to find out if you are eligible for this study visit UKClinicalResearch.com or call 859-323-6494.

The device was developed through a public-private partnership with Exatherm Inc. and the project is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.