Department of Radiation Oncology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Institute for Applied Mathematics and Physics, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.
Int J Hyperthermia. 2024;41(1):2379992. doi: 10.1080/02656736.2024.2379992. Epub 2024 Jul 17.
There is an ongoing scientific discussion, that anti-cancer effects induced by radiofrequency (RF)-hyperthermia might not be solely attributable to subsequent temperature elevations at the tumor site but also to non-temperature-induced effects. The exact molecular mechanisms behind said potential non-thermal RF effects remain largely elusive, however, limiting their therapeutical targetability.
Therefore, we aim to provide an overview of the current literature on potential non-temperature-induced molecular effects within cancer cells in response to RF-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF).
This literature review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. For this purpose, a MeSH-term-defined literature search on MEDLINE (PubMed) and Scopus (Elsevier) was conducted on March 23, 2024. Essential criteria herein included the continuous wave RF-EMF nature (3 kHz - 300 GHz) of the source, the securing of temperature-controlled circumstances within the trials, and the preclinical nature of the trials.
Analysis of the data processed in this review suggests that RF-EMF radiation of various frequencies seems to be able to induce significant non-temperature-induced anti-cancer effects. These effects span from mitotic arrest and growth inhibition to cancer cell death in the form of autophagy and apoptosis and appear to be mostly exclusive to cancer cells. Several cellular mechanisms were identified through which RF-EMF radiation potentially imposes its anti-cancer effects. Among those, by reviewing the included publications, we identified RF-EMF-induced ion channel activation, altered gene expression, altered membrane potentials, membrane oscillations, and blebbing, as well as changes in cytoskeletal structure and cell morphology.
The existent literature points toward a yet untapped therapeutic potential of RF-EMF treatment, which might aid in damaging cancer cells through bio-electrical and electro-mechanical molecular mechanisms while minimizing adverse effects on healthy tissue cells. Further research is imperative to definitively confirm non-thermal EMF effects as well as to determine optimal cancer-type-specific RF-EMF frequencies, field intensities, and exposure intervals.
目前科学界正在讨论，射频（RF）热疗诱导的抗癌作用可能不仅仅归因于肿瘤部位随后的温度升高，还归因于非温度诱导的作用。然而，这些潜在的非热 RF 效应的确切分子机制在很大程度上仍难以捉摸，限制了它们的治疗靶向性。
因此，我们旨在提供关于癌细胞中对 RF 电磁场（RF-EMF）产生的潜在非温度诱导分子效应的最新文献综述。
本文献综述按照 PRISMA 指南进行。为此，于 2024 年 3 月 23 日在 MEDLINE（PubMed）和 Scopus（Elsevier）上进行了基于 MeSH 术语的文献检索。这里的基本标准包括源的连续波 RF-EMF 性质（3 kHz-300 GHz）、试验中温度控制条件的保证以及试验的临床前性质。
对本综述中处理的数据进行分析表明，各种频率的 RF-EMF 辐射似乎能够诱导显著的非温度诱导抗癌作用。这些作用范围从有丝分裂阻滞和生长抑制到自噬和凋亡形式的癌细胞死亡，而且似乎主要是针对癌细胞的。通过审查所包括的出版物，我们确定了 RF-EMF 辐射潜在施加其抗癌作用的几种细胞机制。其中，我们确定了 RF-EMF 诱导的离子通道激活、基因表达改变、膜电位改变、膜振荡和起泡以及细胞骨架结构和细胞形态改变。
现有文献表明，RF-EMF 治疗具有尚未开发的治疗潜力，它可能通过生物电学和机电分子机制来破坏癌细胞，同时最大限度地减少对健康组织细胞的不良反应。进一步的研究对于明确证实非热 EMF 效应以及确定最佳的癌症类型特异性 RF-EMF 频率、场强和暴露间隔至关重要。
