Absorbed dose: Measure of the energy deposited in a medium by ionising radiation, expressed in units of energy per unit mass (J/kg), called grays (Gy). Note that the absorbed dose is not a good indicator of the likely biological effect. Appropriate weighting factors can be applied reflecting the different relative biological effects to find the equivalent dose.
Adjuvant therapy: Therapy given to prevent the return of cancer after the primary tumour has been removed.
Aerobic organism (aerobe): An organism that has an oxygen-based metabolism, such as humans.
Aerobic respiration: Respiration requiring oxygen.
Alternative medicine: See complementary and alternative medicine.
Anaerobic respiration (fermentation): Oxidation of molecules in the absence of oxygen to produce energy.
Angiogenesis: The formation of new blood vessels. This is a normal process of growth and development but is also a fundamental step in the transition of in the growth of tumours beyond a certain size (1 - 2 mm3) tumours to a malignant state.
Antagonist: Something that neutralises or impedes the action or effect of another.
Antenna: An electrical device that transmits or receives RF signals.
Applied research:
Apoptosis: Programmed cell death (c.f. necrosis). A type of cell death in which a cell kills itself so as to control cell numbers.
Archive database: The database (ArcDB) developed by the Institute that contains the patient data and will receive the kiloJoule exposure data from the control PC after each treatment.
ATP (adenosine 5-triphosphate): A nucleotide used to transport chemical energy within cells.
Avascular tumour growth: Early stage of tumour growth not requiring angiogenesis.
Basic research:
Bias: When a point of view prevents impartial judgment on issues relating to the subject of that point of view. In clinical studies, bias is controlled by blinding and randomization
Blind: A randomized trial is said to be blind if the participants are not told which arm of the trial they are on. A clinical trial is "blind" if participants are unaware on whether they are in the experimental or control arm of the study; also called masked.
Cancer: A class of diseases characterised by the uncontrolled (unregulated) division of cells and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues, either by direct (regional) growth into adjacent tissue or implantation into distant sites via the circulatory system (blood or lymphatic systems) (metastases).
Carcinogensis (tumourigenesis): The molecular and genetic process by which cancer develops in an individual, including the initiation (cause), promotion, progression and malignant conversion of the disease.
Case study: Involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single instance or event: a case.
Cell cycle: The series of events involving the growth, replication, and division of a eukaryotic cell.
Cell kinetics: Modelling of the rate at which cells progress through the cell cycle.
Cell membrane:
Cell nucleus:
Cellular respiration: The process in which thechemical bonds of energy-rich molecules such as glucoseare converted into energy usable for lifeprocesses.
Chemotherapy (CHT): The treatment of cancer using specific chemical agents or drugs that are selectively destructive to malignant cells and tissues (anticancer rugs). It is either a primary form of treatment or a systemic (whole body) treatment. Toxic side effects and drug resistance are factors.
Chromosome: A threadlike linear strand of DNA and associated proteins in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells that carries the genes and functions in the transmission of hereditary information.
Circulator:
Clinical audit: A quality improvement process that seeks to improve patient care and outcomes through systematic review of care against explicit criteria and the implementation of change.
Clinical trial: Research study founded on the observation or treatment of human participants, as distinguished from theoretical or basic science. Any research project that prospectively assigns human subjects to intervention and comparison groups to study the cause-and-effect relationship between a medical intervention and a health outcome
Complementary (and alternative) medicine:
CORI cycle:
Course (of RW treatment):
Cure: To restore to health. What does this mean in the case of cancer? One definition is that a person is cured if the vast majority of their cancer cells are killed or reverted to normal cells and the patient's immune system is built up to the point where the body can naturally defend itself against future bouts with cancer. The Institute makes no claim that RWT cures cancer.
Dipole (antenna): An aerial half a wavelength long consisting of two rods connected to a transmission line at the center.
Disease-free survival: Length of time after treatment during which no cancer is found. Can be reported for an individual patient or for a study population.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): A nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in the cell and is capable of self-replication and synthesis of RNA. DNA consists of two long chains of nucleotides twisted into a double helix and joined by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine. The sequence of nucleotides determines individual hereditary characteristics.
Dormant cancer: Recurrence of a tumour after a long interval that it implies that the tumour cell population has been in a dormant (non or slowly growing state). This is a type of latent cancer.
Dose: See absorbed dose, effective dose and equivalent dose.
Dummy load: A device used in place of an antenna while testing a RF transmitter. The dummy load absorbs the RF energy and converts it into heat to prevent it being reflected back and possibly damaging the transmitter.
Effective dose: measure used in radiation protection to estimate the risk resulting from an exposure of ionising radiation. Effective dose is used as a measure of the likelihood of stochastic effects of radiation exposure: carcinogenesis and hereditary effects.
Efficacy: The capacity of (a therapy) to produce a desired therapeutic effect. This definition refers to a desired outcome which is not necessarily curative, so we can rightly speak of the efficacy of a treatment to achieve cancer remission. Efficacy is not equivalent to effectiveness, as doctors and patients often do not follow best practice, the clinical procedures that have proved to be most successful, when using a treatment.
Electromagnetic field (EMF):
Electromagnetic radiation: Radiation associated with oscillating coupled electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge.
Electromagnetic wave: Can be deflected by a magnetic or electric field.
Endpoint: Overall outcome that the protocol is designed to evaluate. Common endpoints are severe toxicity, disease progression, or death.
Epidemiology: The branch of medical science that deals with the study of incidence and distribution and control of a disease in a population.
Equivalent dose: a measure of the radiation dose to tissue where an attempt has been made to allow for the different relative biological effect of different types of ionising radiation. measured in sieverts (Sv).
Evidence-based medicine (EBM): Applies the scientific method to medical practice. "Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients."
Faraday cage: An metal-lined enclosure designed to block EM fields from entering or leaving the enclosure (RF shielding).
Faraday room: A Faraday cage large enough to accommodate a patient, the radiowave transmitters and the bed used to position the patient.
Fermentation: See anaerobic respiration.
Fluorescence: The absorption of EM radiation of a certain frequency v1 by a substance which triggers the emission of EM radiation at another frequency v2.
Fluorescence (F) hypothesis: The hypothesis of Dr Holt that cancer cells are fluorescent when irradiated by UHF radiation.
Follow-up: A subsequent examination (physical or test) of a patient for the purpose of monitoring earlier treatment. Extend to include responses from questionnaire.
Fraction:
Free radical:
Gene: A hereditary unit consisting of a sequence of DNA that occupies a specific location on a chromosome and determines a particular characteristic in an organism. Genes undergo mutation when their DNA sequence changes.
Genome: The total genetic content contained in a haploid set of chromosomes in eukaryotes, in a single chromosome in bacteria, or in the DNA or RNA of viruses.
Glucoytic blocking agent (GMI): Substance given to a patient so as to block the glycolytic pathway.
Glucose (Glc): A monosaccharide (or simple sugar), C6H12O6, is one of the most important carbohydrates. The cell uses it as a source of energy and metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products ofphotosynthesis and starts cellular respiration. The natural form (D-glucose) is also referred to as dextrose, especially in the food industry.
Glycolysis: The series of series of biochemical reactions by which a molecule of glucose(Glc) is oxidized to two molecules of pyruvic acid (Pyr).
Glycolytic pathway: See glycolysis.
Growth factor: proteinthat acts as a signaling molecule between cells (like cytokines and hormones) that attaches to specific receptors on the surface of a target cell and promotes differentiation and maturation of these cells.
Heat shock protein (HSP):
Hyperthermia: Commonly used to refer to high body temperature leading to symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Core body (as opposed to skin and muscle) temperature is 37°C (+/- 0.5°C) in humans (who are homeotherms that maintain a constant body temperature largely independent of the surrounding temperature), hyperthermia occurs above 40°C and death from heat stroke at 42°C. All mammalian cells are destroyed by temperatures of 50°C. In this paper the term refers to the therapeutic use of heat to treat cancer. The hypothesis is that heat can destroy cancer cells without adverse effects on non-cancerous cells (unlike chemotherapy). The cytotoxic effect can result directly from the action of the heat itself and indirectly by sensitizing cancer cells to subsequent XRT and CHT. Hyperthermic therapy can be applied locally, regionally or to the whole body. The therapy is experimental. It is possibly less effective in its whole body format to treat generalised disease. Also it is less well tolerated by seriously ill patients. One method of delivery of the heat is by microwaves.
Hypothesis: A supposition or assumption advanced as a basis for reasoning or argument, or as a guide to experimental investigation.
Hypoxia: Deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues. Used here to refer to tumour hypoxia, where tumour cells are deprived of oxygen.
Impedance: Measure of opposition to a sinusoidal electric current.
Informed consent: The process of learning the key facts about a clinical trial before deciding whether or not to participate. It is also a continuing process throughout the study to provide information for participants. To help someone decide whether or not to participate, the doctors and nurses involved in the trial explain the details of the study.
Informed consent document (form): A document that describes the rights of the study participants, and includes details about the study, such as its purpose, duration, required procedures, and key contacts. Risks and potential benefits are explained in the informed consent document. The participant then decides whether or not to sign the document. Informed consent is not a contract, and the participant may withdraw from the trial at any time.
Integrative medicine:
Intermodulation distortion (IMD): nonlinear distortion characterized by the appearance, in the output of a device, of frequencies that are linear combinations of the fundamental frequencies and all harmonics present in the input signals. IMD in RWT is a consequence of having multiple transmitters operating in close proximity to one another.
Intervention:
Ionising radiation: Radiation of sufficiently high energy that it produces ionisation of the substances through which it passes
Ionisation: The interaction of high energy radiation with the orbital electrons of atoms in the target to remove these electrons. This may fracture molecular bonds in proteins and nucleic acids. If this is human tissue then ionisation creates strongly chemically reactive free radicals (H+ a reducing agent) and (OH– an oxidising agent) from ionisation of water molecules (this is a delayed effect) and disruption of DNA in the nucleus of cells. This may alter the function of the cell (mutagenic effect) or kill the cell (necrosis) or even the initiation of cancer (carciogenesis). The radiation dose
Irradiation: The process by which a subject is exposed to radiation. There are two kinds of irradiation of importance in Dr Holt’s treatment: RF irradiation and irradiation by x-rays, at doses less than those used in sub-clinical doses).
Joule (J): Unit of energy.
Kreb’s cycle: the citric acid cycle (TCA), the series of reactions that utilize oxygen as part of cellular respiration.
Latent cancer: A cancer that is currently hidden, dormant or inactive and which could become reactivated following the cessation of therapy. See dormant and occult cancers.
Medical ethics: The discipline of evaluating the merits, risks, and social concerns of activities in the field of medicine. Six commonly included principles are: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, dignity and thruthfulness (and honesty)
Medical history: Information gained by aphysician by asking specific questions, either of the patient. A longitudinal record of what has happened to a patient since birth.
Medical record: A systematic documentation of apatient's medical history and care.
Meta-analysis: Combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses.
Metabolism: The biochemical modification of chemical compounds in livingorganisms and cells. This includes the biosynthesis of complex organic molecules (anabolism) and their breakdown (catabolism). Metabolism usually consists of sequences of enzymatic steps, also called metabolic pathways. The total metabolism are all biochemical processes of an organism. The cell metabolism includes all chemical processes in a cell.
Metastasis: The ability of a cancer to invade other organs of the body distant from the site of the primary tumour. These colonies are metastases or secondary tumours. New tumours may appear a long time after treatment for the primary disease in which case there is a question whether these new tumours are new primary tumours or metastases of the original tumour that have been dormant or latent.
Mitochondria:
Mitosis: The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides into two two new nuclei, each of which contains a complete copy of the parental cell's chromosomes. Also used to include the immediately following stage of division of the cytoplasm (cytokinesis) to produce two daughter cells.
Mitosis: The process by which a cell separates its duplicated genome into two identical halves. Here used to refer to the entire mitotic (M) phase of the cell cycle, comprising mitosis and cytokinesis (splitting of the cell cytoplasm).
Mutagen: An agent which induces a mutation or increases the rate of mutation.
Mutation: A change of the DNA sequence within a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the parental type. A mutation is a necessary but not sufficient condition for carcinogenesis.
Necrosis: Unprogrammed death of cells (c.f. apoptosis). Cells that die by necrosis may release harmful chemicals that damage other cells.
Nucleotide: A chemical compound consisting of a heterocyclic base, a sugar, and one or more phosphate groups.
Occult cancer: A stage in the progression of a cancer when it presents no visible signs and symptoms (or screening imaging) but which could only be detected by pathology tests. An occult cancer is a latent cancer.
Palliate: To reduce the symptoms of a disease. Ease the severity of pain or a disease without removing the cause (partial treatment).
Peer review: Review of a clinical trial by experts chosen by the study sponsor. These experts review the trials for scientific merit, participant safety, and ethical considerations.
Placebo effect: The phenomenon that a patient's symptoms can be alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment.
Primary (neoadjuvant) therapy: To reduce tumour size prior to surgery.
Primary tumour: The tumour at the original site (c.f. seconday tumour).
Protein: A complex, high-molecular-mass,organic compound that consists of amino acids joined by peptide bonds. Proteins are essential to the structure and function of all living cells and viruses.
Quiescence: The state of a cell when it is not dividing.
Radiation: The process of propagating energy through space. The term is used in this document to refer specifically to propagation in the form of electromagnetic waves or sub-atomic particles (charged particles α and β rays or uncharged particles neutrons).
Radiofrequency (RF): Seeradiowaves.
Radiotherapy (Radiation therapy) (XRT):Treatment using ionising radiation to kill or damage cancer cells (c.f. radiology). Note that radiotherapy uses a form of radiation distinct from radiowave therapy. The therapeutic premise of radiotherapy is that rapidly dividing cells are more susceptible to radiation damage. Rapidly diving cells include, but are not restricted to, non-dormant cancer cells. The expectation is that the benefits of the therapy outweigh the damage to healthy tissue. The radiation used can be in the form of EM radiation (x rays and y (gamma) ray photons) or particle radiation (protons and neutrons). Gamma rays are generated by the decay of radioisotopes while x rays are generated by a cathode ray tube or a linear accelerator. The benefit - risk analysis for use in cancer treatment is obviously different to the tradeoff in employing ionising radiation in diagnosis (where disease is not yet proven) or screening (where it is applied to mostly disease-free people).
Radiowave: Radio frequency (RF) EM radiation. In this research it is used only to refer to the UHF band with frequencies v in the range 300 to 3000 MHz. The term “microwave” is often used to refer to higher frequency SHF and EHF waves but is sometimes also extended to cover UHF. Microwave ovens in fact operate in the high end of the UHF band.
Radiowave therapy (RWT): Treatment using radiowaves, either GMI/UHF or UHF/XRT, c.f. radiotherapy (XRT).
Randomised clinical trial: See randomized control trial.
Randomised control(led) trial (RCT): A form of clinical trial.
Refractory disease: Disease that has not responded to treatment.
Remission: An abatement in the intensity or degree of a disease as evidenced by the disappearing of some or all signs and symptoms of the disease, termed a partial or complete remission respectively. The disease is under control but cancer cells may still be in the body. The remission can be further classified as temporary or permanent. What is the difference between complete permanent remission and a cure?
Resonance: The tendency of a system to absorb more energy when the frequency of its oscillations matches the system’s natural frequency of vibration (its resonant frequency) than it does at other frequencies. The Institute’s research involves considering the resonance of individual cells or parts of the subject’s body.
Respiration: See cellular respiration.
Response rate: The percentage of patients whose cancer shrinks or disappears after treatment [NCI]
RNA (ribonucleic acid): A nucleic acid that delivers the instructions coded in the DNA information to the cell's protein manufacturing sites.
Safety: Protection against physical or psychological damage (harm) to patients during treatment, whether this is a fundamental hazard in the therapy or due to some error. Classifying the Institute's RWT as a safety-critical system, a medical device.
Scientific method: An approach to acquiring new knowledge about the natural world. Based on the proposal of hypotheses to explain phenomena, design of experimental studies that test these predictions for accuracy. These steps are repeated in order to make increasingly dependable predictions of future results. Theories that encompass whole domains of inquiry serve to bind more specific hypotheses together into logically coherent wholes. This in turn aids in the formation of new hypotheses, as well as in placing groups of specific hypotheses into a broader context of understanding. Among other facets shared by the various fields of inquiry is the conviction that the process must beobjective so that the scientist does not bias the interpretation of the results or change the results outright. Another basic expectation is that of making complete documentation of data and methodology available for careful scrutiny by other scientists and researchers, thereby allowing other researchers opportunity to verify results as well as to establish statistical measures of reliability. The scientific method also may involve attempts, if possible and appropriate, to achieve control over the factors involved in the area of inquiry, which may in turn be manipulated to test new hypotheses in order to gain further knowledge.
Scientific research: Research conducted according to the scientific method for the purpose of exploration, description or explanation of phenomena.
Sensitization (S) hypothesis: The effect postulated by Dr Holt that the mitosis rate of cancer cells irradiated by radiowaves is increased.
Side effect: An unintended secondary effect of a therapy, that is an effect in addition to the desired therapeutic effect and which goes beyond the the expected range and affects tissue or organs other than the ones meant to be affected by the treatment. Usually an adverse effect, although desirable (therapeutic) effects are possible.
Solid tumour: Tumours that grow as a solid mass of tissue (parenchyma and stroma) as opposed to tumours that grow as cell suspensions, for example leukemias.
Specific absorption rate (SAR): The time rate at which RF is absorbed into a biological subject, measured in W / kg.
Spectrum analyser: A device used to measure the spectral composition of a waveform, in our case the analysis of the reflected/re-radiated radiation from an irradiated subject. This is used to investigate the F-hypothesis.
Standing wave ratio (SWR): The ratio of reflected to transmitted waves.
Subject: Any object which is irradiated by radiowaves for the purpose of our research. The object is most often a living patient having cancer which permits the investigation of the F and S-hypotheses. Another subject is a phantom, that is a anthropogenic model or mannequin which is designed to simulate the shape and tissue composition of the human body.
Survival rate: The proportion of subjects surviving a certain time. The five-year survival rate is the probability of surviving cancer for five years in the absence of other causes of death, for example a survival rate of 80% means that of 100 people diagnosed with cancer, 80 are likely to live for at least five years after diagnosis. The percentage of people in a study who are alive for a given period of time after disgnosis. This is commonly expressed as five-year survival.
Survival time: The elapsed time between date of diagnosis and time of death. The principle measure of patient outcome.
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA):Australia’s regulating authority under which the importation and operation of medical devices, including the equipment used in the RW therapy.
Therapy: The act of caring for someone. Synonymous with treatment.
Time to progression: Time after a disease is diagnosed (or treated) until the disease starts to get worse.
Transmitter: The electronic device that generates the energy for the transmitting aerial. It consists of a power supply, oscillator, modulator and amplifier.
Transmitter control software (TXCS):
Treatment: One application of RF power to a patient within a Faraday room.
Treatment regime: The pattern of treatments given to a patient by the Institute during one course of treatments. This consists of two 10 minute treatments separated by a ten minute rest period each day, repeated five days a week for three weeks with a two non-treatment days between each week. This is a total of 30 treatments (2 x 5 x 3). Tronado machine: The original machine used by Dr Holt to treat patients with radiowaves. The transmitters used in these machines varied over the years beginning with the original ERBATHERM units being replaced in the late 1970’s while HEUTTINGER units until 1989 and then the current HENRY units in use until Dr Holt’s retirement in 2004. The antennae configuration also changed. Therefore to speak of the “Tronado machine” as a specific device is misleading. RW machines in use today are not the same as the original “Tronado” machines.
Tumour: An abnormal, disorganised growth of tissue (a neoplasm), in the case of the Institute's patients usually a malignant tumour, that is a cancer, although benign tumours can sometimes also require aggressive treatment.
Tumour burden: The total mass of tumor tissue carried by an individual with cancer.
Tumour marker: A substance, released into the circulation by tumor tissue, whose detection in the serum indicates the presence of a specific type of tumor.
Tumour stage: The extent of the spread of a malignant tumor from its site of origin.
Tumourigenesis: Seecarcinogenesis.
Watt (W): Unit of power, 1 W = 1 Joule per second.