Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of low-frequency rotary magnetic fields in the treatment of patients with advanced malignant tumors.
Methods: 137 patients with advanced malignant tumors were exposed to 400 r/min, 0.4 T low-frequency rotary magnetic fields. An area including the primary tumor, local metastasis and metastatic lymph nodes was exposed daily, 2 hours per day for 30~50 days (average time of 42 days).
Results: All of the 137 patients completed the low-frequency rotary magnetic field treatment. There were 28 cases with complete response, 54 cases with partial response, and the clinical benefit rate was 59.9%. The tumor type, initial KPS and QOL showed statistical significance in the clinical benefit rate (P < 0.05). The median overall survival was 12 months, and the 1-year, 2-year and 3-year survival rates were 47.0%, 11.8%, 3.4%, respectively. The tumor type, initial KPS and QOL were identified by univariate log-rank test as significant prognostic factors for overall survival (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the initial QOL was an independent prognostic factors (P = 0.037) . During the treatment, asthenia and local pain were observed in 11 patients, and 6 patients had mild tachycardia (increased 3 to 5/min) and/or temperature elevation (0.5 to 1.0°C). All above symptoms disappeared spontaneously. No treatment-related death was observed.
Conclusions: Low-frequency rotary magnetic fields is an effective and safe method in the treatment of patients with advanced malignant tumors, and may prolong survival significantly.