THE INDICATIONS OF APPLICATION OF ELECTROCHEMICAL THERAPY
Xin Yu-Ling China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China

Electrochemical Therapy (ECT) is a method for treating tumours. Specially made platinum needles are inserted into tumour mass. Needles are connected to an Direct Current Producing Instrument. The direct electric current will result in a process called electrolysis in the tumour mass and, hence, destroy tumour cells. The voltage used is in the range of 6-8 volts. At the area surrounding anode, it is strong acidic (pH l~2). And the area surround cathode is strongly basic (pH 12—14). lt is this strong acidity or alkalinity that kills tumour cells. This method is simple and easy to be handled. There is no need of surgical operation and no side effects like that occurred during radio- or chemotherapy. The method is safe, effcctive, less traumatic and with quick recovery.

In the past ten years in China, more than seven thousands cases of various kinds of malignant tumours have been treated with ECT. There are around 24 kinds of malignant tumours. Among them, there are visceral cancers such as lung cancers, oesophageal cancers, liver cancers, throat cancers, cancers of adrenal gland, rectal cancers, cervical cancers, prostate cancers, tumours of meningeal membrane; and superficial cancers such as breast cancers, thyroid adenomas, cancers of subaural glands, tumours of maxillofacial region, cancers of hp, tongue and skin, and rhabdomyosarcoma. The total effective rate of ECT of the listed malignant tumours is 70 %‚ though all of the tumours are at middle and late stages (stages III and lV). Most of the cases were inoperable or not responsive to radio- and/or chemotherapy. To these patients, especially those who have recurrent tumours after surgical Operation of their late stage tumours, ECT can be effectively relieve the patients suffering and extend their life expectancy. Of course, ECT is not a panacea to cure every case of malignant tumours. ECT is a kind of local treatment methods. lt is applicable to those solitary tumours with out general metastasis. According to our experience, the following conditions are not suitable to using ECT: lung cancers complicate with large amount of hydrothorax, liver cancers with jaundice, breast cancer with general metastasis of lymph nodes and bones, and patients in the state ofcachexia.

Nevertheless, to some patients who have recurrent tumours (for example, breast cancer, thyroid adenoma, cancer of parotid gland) after surgical operation and usually complicated with remote metastasis, can be treated with combined treatment, provided that physical condition of the patients is not very bad. The combined treatment can be the combination of ECT, for the localised mass, with radio and or chemotherapy for the control of remote metastasis. In recent years, using this combined treatment, the indications are extended and the effectiveness is raised. For example, the metastasis tumours in liver after the resection of primary cancers of colon and rectum, are usually multifocal. They are not treated effectively by using chemotherapy. They can be eliminated by ECT and then using chemotherapy to raise the long term effectiveness. There is severe obstruction of oesophagus due to late stage cancers. Patients ran not take food even water and are very weak. They can not receive surgical Operation and radiotherapy)~‘. ECT can be applied first to these kind of patients to relieve the obstruction. When the physical condition of patients is improved, surgical Operation and radiotherapy could be applied to ensure the long term effect. Especially for the cancers of oral cavity (tongue and hips) and throat, the combined treatment of ECT and radio- and/or chemotherapy can eliminate tumours on the one hand and preserve functions of the organs and tissues on the other hand. The treatment is, thus, warmly welcome by patients.

To ensure good therapeutic effectiveness, it is very important to properly manage the ECT method. Doctors doing ECT should be properly trained. Suitable indications should be chosen. Needle electrodes should be inserted right into the tumour mass and all through the diameter of the mass. The diameter of the area with tumour killing effect surrounded each electrode is 2 cm. The distance between two electrodes is, thus, 2 cm. The number of electrodes for a tumour mass, hence, can be determined by the diameter of tumour mass. Voltage is 6-8 volts and electric current is 40-80 mA. The electric quantity

one centimetre in diameter of tumour mass is 100 coulomb. That is, the electric quantity for a tumour mass of 5 cm in diameter, is 500 coulomb.

The insertion of needles into superficial tumours could be done under direct vision. While the insertion of needles into visceral tumours should be done under the monitoring of X-ray, ß-ultrasonography and CT scanning. The parts of needles outside tumour and inside the healthy tissue should be covered with insulating tube in order to protect the normal tissues from electrolytic injury.

In recent years, ECT has been applied to treat benign tumours, such as benign thyroid adenoma, breast hypertrophy and carvernous hemangioma, with good effectiveness. Especially for carvernous hemangioma, ECT can result in radical cure, less bleeding and good maxillofacial appearance.