The efficacy and safety of low-frequency rotating static magnetic field therapy combined with chemotherapy on advanced lung cancer patients: a randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of magnetic field (MF) therapy by a randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial.

Materials and methods: From February 2016 to August 2019, patients with advanced lung cancer who conformed to inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. Patients were assigned into MF therapy group (MF group, receiving both MF therapy and chemotherapy) and control group (CON group, receiving sham MF therapy and chemotherapy) randomly. The treatment course was 21 days and 2 hours per day. Changes of life quality assessment scales, objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were analyzed as primary end points. The secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), change of blood cytokine concentrations and safety. This study has been registered on Clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT02701231).

Results: 77 patients were enrolled and 60 finished the study. Comparing to CON group, more patients in MF group (66.7% vs 25.9%) were experiencing life quality improvement on day 21. Besides, MF group patients had higher concentrations of IP-10 and GM-CSF, and lower concentration of sTREM-1 in plasma. However, the two groups were having similar ORR, DCR and PFS after treatment. Moreover, MF treatment did not increase adverse events in MF group.

Conclusions: MF therapy could improve life quality and modulate blood cytokine concentration in advanced lung cancer patients. Hence, it might be applied as an adjuvant therapy along with chemotherapy.

Keywords:

• Magnetic field therapy
• advanced lung cancer
• clinical trial

Acknowledgements

We appreciate the help of Dr. Ping Wang, Dr. Shu Zhang, Dr. Xianling Su, Dr. Wei Zhao, Dr. Xizhou Guan and Dr. Tiemei Zhao during the patient recruitment process.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of PLAGH (No. S2015-093-01).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Chinese National Key Technology Research and Development Program under Grant 2012BAI15B00.

Notes on contributors

Minghui Zhu

Minghui Zhu, is a Ph. D student majoring in therapies of lung cancer at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Zhen Yang

Zhen Yang, M.D, is an associate chief physician who works on treatment of lung cancer, COPD and interventional pulmonology at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Hang Yu

Hang Yu, is a Ph. D student majoring in diagnosis of early stage lung cancer at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Qiang Zhu

Qiang Zhu, is a physician who works on interventional pulmonology at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Yang Xu

Yang Xu, M.D, is an attending physician who specializes in treatment of lung cancer at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Yanran Li

Yanran Li, is a Ph. D student who majors in demyelinating neuropathy at the Department of Neurology, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Chunyan Li

Chunyan Li, is a head nurse at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Wei Zhao

Wei Zhao, M.D, is an associate chief physician specializing in early diagnosis of lung cancer at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Zhixin Liang

Zhixin Liang, M.D, is an associate chief physician who specializes in treatment of lung cancer and COPD at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Liangan Chen

Liangan Chen, M.D, professor, is a chief physician and the director of key laboratory of respiratory diseases of Beijing at the Department of Respiratory diseases, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China. He is in charge of over 20 national projects, and specializes in early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, and interventional pulmonology.