Look Who it Was Random video

Turning Technology on Cancer

103 views · Published 5 March 2015 · 1:55 · Indexed 28 October 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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In the war against cancer, radiation oncologists have many weapons to choose from. Traditional radiation therapy is a big gun, but not the only one.

“The field also encompasses other different types of treatment beyond straight x-rays to treat cancer. We can use heat, we can use electrical fields and there are other physical entities that we use to bring to bear on the treatment of cancer patients,” says Dr. Contantine Mantz, who is a radiation oncologist on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. 

Some of these treatments are used along with radiation, but many times advanced technology is aimed at people who’ve had too much exposure in the past. 

“Electro-field therapy has been approved for use to help slow down the progression of disease for these patients for whom otherwise there’s no other choice,” says Dr. Mantz. 

Approved for use on patients with recurrent glioblastoma, electro-field therapy is administered through a skull cap.

“That will expose the patient’s tumor to an electric field over a period of a few weeks and then the treatment is discontinued. Usually the course of treatment is about 4 to 6 weeks,” says Dr. Mantz. 

Other high-tech cancer treatments use cold or heat to eradicate disease. Cryo-therapies use freezing temperatures, while hyperthermia turns up the heat on tumors.

“Hyperthermia makes radiation more effective. So we don’t have to use higher doses we would otherwise have to use to result in the same kill- or tumor control,” says Dr. Alan Brown, who is a radiation oncologist on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. 

Approved for specific forms of recurrent cancer including melanoma, hyperthermia involves applying a water-filled bladder to the affected area. Doctors maintain a 108 degree temperature for about a half hour before giving low-doses of radiation. 

“Unfortunately, the tissue that’s been radiated never forgets the previous radiation, so we applied the hyperthermia unit to make the cancer cells more sensitive,” says Dr. Brown.  

Turning technology on cancer allows doctors to extend life and may someday include a cure for deadly disease. 
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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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