Nanotechnology Is Set To Revolutionize Prostate Cancer Treatment

by Kelly Godbey

Did you know that approximately one in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime? Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer for men, and it often goes undetected. Usually, the diagnosis is after age 65, and regular screening through your annual doctor visit will tell you if you are at risk.

The good news is that most prostate cancer is very slow-growing. Men typically die with it, not because of it. However, according to ZeroCancer.org, it is anticipated that 34,500 American men will die in 2022 because of this disease.

The prostate gland is a walnut-sized organ located between the bladder and the rectum that is responsible for producing seminal fluid. The gland produces a protein, a prostate-specific antigen or PSA, that can be monitored throughout routine bloodwork after age the age of 55—or younger if you have a family history—to detect cancer. PSA levels change with age, and it’s important to monitor them.

What Happens if Cancer Is Detected?

When a tumor is detected, it is then biopsied and graded for both size and growth rate based on the Gleason scale that measures the level of risk to the patient. And depending on the growth risk, the primary treatment method for prostate cancer might be as simple as active surveillance (which entails monitoring).

But what happens if an intermediate growth risk has been determined?

In the past, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy, as well as a prostatectomy (prostate removal) have been the options. The side effects of prostate removal consist of erectile dysfunction and bladder and rectal incontinence. So, as you can imagine, most men would prefer to live with this type of cancer.

However, in recent years, new methods such as focal ablation have been made available. In simplistic terms, that means they destroy the tissue internally either through ultrasound or freezing the cancer cells.

A Promising New Treatment for Prostate Cancer

MagForce, a nanomedicine company, is pioneering new technology that will hopefully reduce the side effects of prostate cancer treatment and enable more men to live happy, fulfilling lives. MagForce is currently in Stage 2B of clinical trials of its NanoTherm® focal ablation technology and will hopefully have FDA approval for commercial availability within the next year.

According to Gabriel Dilanji, PhD, Magforce USA’s Chief Scientist and Systems Director, “We are trying to develop this procedure and technology so that our patients can have a better quality of life. We want to treat the disease effectively and safely. The biggest benefits are the potential for fewer side effects. In our preliminary work, we have had a good side effect profile with the patients we have treated so far.”

(kind of like an MRI machine). Due to the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles, the particles heat the tumor to destroy it from the inside out. The patient only requires one 60-minute activation treatment. The treatment would be available only if the cancer has not metastasized.

So, what is this is this revolutionary treatment? With fancy words like superparamagnetism, quantum mechanics, and spin theory, it all sounds really complicated— and it is very complex. We are talking about nanotechnology, after all. However, the premise behind the treatment is fairly simple. Magforce developed coated iron oxide nanoparticles to heat and destroy the cancer tumor from the inside out.

According to Dilanji, “With our treatment, we have developed nanoparticles that heat from the inside out. The nanoparticles are 500-times smaller than a red blood cell. The particles float around in water, but when they are injected into tissue, they clump together and form a solid deposit in that area. The particle deposit heats up when activated by our magnet. We only deliver energy to the specific suspicious lesion.”

There are 17 trillion nanoparticles in one milliliter of fluid. The fluid is injected directly into the tumor using precise measurements from a three-dimensional MRI. Then the patient enters the Nanoactivator®

Currently, Magforce USA is seeking clinical trial patients throughout the United States for a study for men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer and a Gleason score of 3+4. The treatments will take place in San Antonio, TX, Seattle, WA, and Sarasota, FL. If you would like to be considered for the trial, please contact the MagForce USA medical liaison at 833-658-6423 or prostatetrial@magforce-usa.com to see if you qualify for this study.

Magforce was founded in 1997 in Berlin, Germany. In 2011, they received regulatory approval from the European Union to treat glioblastoma with NanoTherm® technology. It was the first and only nanotechnology treatment to receive European regulatory approval for brain tumors. Since 2018, Magforce USA has been conducting clinical trials for its nanotechnology focal ablation treatment.

On a side note, as a writer who has lost loved ones to cancer, it gives me great hope that new treatments may soon be available.