Oncotherm Device Receives Patent as a Tumour Vaccination 

The Loco-Regional Hyperthermia (LRHT) Oncotherm EHY-2000+ device received a patent, US 20150217099 A1 in August 2015, recognizing this treatment as a tumour vaccination. The present invention relates to a vaccine composed of at least one immune stimulant and radiofrequency waves using capacitive coupling and to a method, especially an in-situ and in vivo vaccination method for treatment of primary cancer and its metastases even in disseminated cell-states, which cannot be detected by presently available imaging methods or for prevention of relapse of the cancer disease, and especially for enabling and supporting the patient’s own immune system to recognize and kill the cancer cells and to build up a memory to prevent relapse of a cancer disease (Google Patents link). What exactly does this mean?

Let’s begin with how vaccinations work and let’s keep it simple. For an example, if you go to your family physician for the flu vaccine, the family doctor will inject antigens (let’s call them foreign invaders) into your body. These foreign invaders will circulate around your body in the blood. This is where our immune system kicks in – our white blood cells such as our B-cells and T-cells help fend off foreign invaders. When our immune system recognizes something as foreign, it will create antibodies to the foreign invaders. When our body makes antibodies towards the foreign invaders, it helps our immune system remember the foreign invader so it can get rid of it.

The Oncotherm EHY-2000+ device applies LRHT utilizing a technique referred to as Modulated Electro-Hyperthermia (mEHT). mEHT works in a few different ways; the most important of its mechanisms is that mEHT causes the cancer cells in our body to produce what we call ‘heat shock proteins’ when heated. The treatment basically alerts our immune system by flagging the cancer cells. When these cells are flagged, they look unusual to our immune system and our immune system responds by getting rid of them. 

Think of our immune system as the security surveillance at the airport. Cancer cells can play tricks on our immune system and disguise themselves as normal cells. The security guards are not able to detect them as ‘bad’ because they think they are normal. When someone gets LRHT with the Oncotherm EHY-2000+ device, the heat treatment basically plants a big red flag on the cancer cells. Similarly, to the flu vaccine, our immune system recognizes these cancer cells once they are flagged and becomes better equipped to deal with them. 

Every person has about 1000 cancer cells circulating in their body daily; however, in patients with weak immune surveillance, these cancer cells mimic normal cells, spread disease and create tumours. If you are living with cancer, this immunotherapy may be an option for you alongside conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. IHC has used this device on thousands of patients living with cancer for patients seeking an integrated approach to their health plan. 

By. Dr. Ritu Jhaj, ND