An international team of researchers has developed a new, more effective treatment to fight Cancer using fewer chemotherapy doses, according to Europa Press.
The treatment can “powerfully destroy tumor cells while minimizing systemic toxicity,” said Ana Espinosa, lead author of the study and researcher at the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid.
The study, conducted on breast cancer tumor cells outside the human body, could potentially be applied to other types of cancer.
Researchers tested, for the first time, a trimodal treatment combining three simultaneous approaches: chemotherapy with Doxorubicin and two types of heat-based therapies.
Read more: Portugal: new guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension
These include magnetic hyperthermia—using a magnetic field to generate heat—and near-infrared radiation, which also produces heat. Together, these methods enhance the effectiveness of the drug.
According to the study, combining two forms of hyperthermia with chemotherapy allows for reduced doses of doxorubicin.
“The treatment works like a heat trap to eliminate cancer cells,” Espinosa explained, noting that cancer cells are particularly sensitive to heat.
Individually, each technique cannot safely reach the temperatures required to destroy tumor cells, but their combined use significantly improves outcomes.
The research, conducted in collaboration with IMDEA Nanociencia, Institut Curie, and Institute of Ceramics and Glass, demonstrated the potential of this trimodal approach.
“We achieved a cell death rate of up to 70% within 72 hours, representing a significant increase in effectiveness compared to individual treatments,” Espinosa said.
The study, published in Advanced NanoBiomed Research, opens a promising new therapeutic pathway, although it is still in an early stage.
