Towards clinical utilization of hyperthermia system to improve treatment of head and neck cancer

Purpose and goal

The aim of the project is to demonstrate that technology developed for heat delivery to deep-seated tumors is safe and applicable in terms the clinical procedures. The goal of this exploratory stage was to develop a clinical prototype of hyperthermia system to treat head and neck tumors and to ensure that the system fulfils the regulatory requirements to be clinically used at Sahlgrenska University hospital (SU). The project has to a large extent followed the planned process stated in the application. The device is capable of focused heating and can be submitted for ethical approval soon.

Expected results and effects

The present project finalizes the pre-clinical stage of the development of hyperthermia system, i.e. establishing the clinical prototype that satisfies all the regulatory requirements in hospital. The goal can be classified as advancing the project from stage TRL4 to TRL5 and being ready for starting the clinical feasibility study. We aim to treat patients with advanced head and neck tumors to improve their poor prognosis. The feasibility study will include patients with smaller local recurrences of various head and neck cancers within previously irradiated volume.

Planned approach and implementation

The technological development was the major responsibility of the group at Chalmers while the clinical partner (SU) has been directly involved in the design process to ensure the optimal setup for clinical use. The collaboration between the participants has been strengthened during the project through meetings and feedback sessions that helped to explore potential risks and eliminate suboptimal solutions. The project enabled to stretch the boundaries of science and technology, providing resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to the clinicians and healthcare personnel.