Tumor destroyed: German doctors save cancer patients with a new chemo process

A successful case story that encourages. German doctors have successfully treated an 18-year-old patient locally for cancer. The young woman suffered from severe bone cancer. “She had a highly aggressive, malignant tumor on her left knee,” says Prof. Dr. medical Karl Aigner, chief physician at the Medias Klinikum in Burghausen, to FOCUS online. “As big as a coconut.”

The young woman had previously discontinued classic chemotherapy, the severe side effects had become unbearable for her. But the cancer spread and metastases were already found in the groin and thigh region. “The patient was therefore recommended amputation of the leg,” explains Aigner. “It’s normal procedure.”

The patient’s mother then looked for ways to avoid this amputation. “They came to me,” says Aigner. “And I said it could work.” That was about two years ago.

Physician is a pioneer of regional chemotherapy

Aigner specializes in regional chemotherapy. He has been working with these so-called isolated perfusion techniques for more than 40 years and has repeatedly modified them. The part of the body affected by the tumor is temporarily disconnected from the bloodstream and flushed with very strong chemotherapeutic drugs. Aigner is considered a pioneer. In 1981 he succeeded in the world‘s first isolated liver perfusion.

The advantage of regional chemotherapy is that a significantly higher concentration of chemotherapeutic agents can be achieved. “We are talking about a concentration that is up to 80 times higher,” says Aigner. “In a systemic [„normalen“] Chemotherapy would also destroy the tumor, but also the patient.” In the isolated treatment, the blood is filtered before it re-enters the patient’s own bloodstream. Patients therefore have very few or no side effects.

“Like tuning a car”: World’s first EISLI treatment

In the case of the 18-year-old patient, Aigner modified the isolated perfusion of the leg again. “It’s a bit like tuning a car,” says Aigner. Only in terms of concentration, temperature and duration of the treatment or the localization of the catheter for connection to the perfusion machine.

The difficulty with the 18-year-old was that not only the knee was affected, but also the pelvic and groin region. “We basically had to expand the perfusion upwards,” says Aigner. The balloon catheters were placed in the pelvis accordingly. He also worked with the stop-flow infusion he developed. The flow rate can be temporarily stopped by a blockage of the catheter. They appropriately named the treatment Extended Limb Stop-Flow Infusion (EISLI).

With EISLI treatment, the tumor in an 18-year-old was completely destroyed

The 18-year-old completed a total of four EISLI therapies, each for one and a half hours and at intervals of three weeks. “The actual goal was to shrink the tumor so that it could be removed with healthy edges and a knee prosthesis inserted,” says Aigner. But even after the first therapy, the tumor had shrunk significantly. And the success continued. “We were actually able to destroy the entire tumor,” the surgeon recalls. During an operation at the Klinikum Rechts der Isar in Munich, the young woman was also fitted with an artificial knee joint.

That was two years ago and so far the 18-year-old has shown no signs of cancer. However, Aigner does not want to speak of a “healing”. “I always say to my patients, ‘If we meet again in 15 years and there are still no signs of cancer, then maybe we can discuss a cure.'”

The tumor responds to treatment in up to 80 percent

“The EISLI is not a miracle cure,” says Aigner. “But the stop-flow infusion concept is really good and very effective.” In 70 to 80 percent, the tumor responds to the treatment, which means it is destroyed to the extent that it becomes operable. Again and again they also experienced complete remissions. This means that there are no clinical, radiological or other signs of the disease after the treatment.

In fact, almost every tumor can be treated with regional chemotherapy, says Aigner. With “very good results” in head, neck, liver, pancreas, breast and cervical cancer as well as anal carcinoma. Colon tumors, on the other hand, are a difficult exception because they have very poor blood supply.

Many insurers have not yet covered the costs

Aigner names the costs as a disadvantage of regional chemotherapy. Most statutory health insurers have not yet covered the treatment. Incomprehensible to the doctor. “The patients would thus escape the enormous side effects of systemic chemotherapy,” he criticizes.

But some doctors also shy away from the treatment, since disconnecting from their own blood circulation also entails risks. “Of course it takes experience,” agrees Aigner. He himself works with a team in which some senior physicians have been with us for more than 25 years. In addition, the professor gives specialist lectures, carries out guest operations in other countries such as the USA, Japan, China, Israel and Egypt, and has already published over 200 specialist articles.

76-year-old is currently training for the team in the Caribbean

The 76-year-old has not yet thought about retirement. More like a new project: “I’m currently training a team of doctors in the Dominican Republic, also with a focus on regional cancer therapy.” He and his wife, who was born in the Dominican Republic, could also imagine moving there at some point pull. In Germany he is also currently training his daughter. The graduate biologist researches immune reactions in the body after chemotherapy.

“I don’t think it’s really anything special,” he says at the end of his treatment successes. Does he still hope that this method will catch on? “I would really like to see this method catch on,” he says. “But at my age I take it easy.”