Study on Cancer Treatment using Magnetic Fluid for Medicine and Induction Heating Device

Abstract

Two electromagnetic heating methods have been studied in the hyperthermic treatment of cancer: dielectric heating, and induction heating using magnetic substances. Dielectric heating devices heat even normal tissues around cancer. On the other hand, induction heating has an advantage that it can heat cancer selectively. However, so far effective induction heating has been difficult: enough heat was not generated in the body because of (1) the magnetic field generated by portable induction heating devices was not strong enough, and (2) non-existence of excellent magnetic substances, and (3) strongly invasive temperature measurement in the body. In this paper, we try to solve those problems.Firstly, we develop an effective high-power induction heating device. Secondly, we obtain an excellent superparamagnetic substance known as magnetic fluid (MF) with large magnetic particles. Thirdly, we propose a detection technique of magnetic particle distribution in the body, using X-ray CT, from which the internal body temperature can be estimated. We confirm the validity of the proposed method in vitro. Finally, we do an experiment to heat the excellent MF injected into VX-2 bearing rabbits. A significant anti-cancer effect was observed. Such results suggest that our study would be quite useful for the development of induction heating hyperthermia.