Cancer research inspires Erie community John Kanzius
Cancer Research Foundation
Wednesday, May 02, 2007 By David Templeton, Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
ERIE -- He received a key to the city of Erie, where
officials declared Saturday "John Kanzius Day," coupled with
standing ovations from 700 people attending a symposium on
his cancer research.
The honors and applause stem from hopeful news Mr.
Kanzius and Dr. Steven Curley, a liver cancer specialist
from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston, provided a near-capacity crowd at the Mary D'Angelo
Performing Arts Center at Mercyhurst College. Mr. Kanzius, a
Washington County native, and Dr. Curley, who is conducting
research on Mr. Kanzius' noninvasive Radio-Frequency-Induced
Thermal Destruction of Cancer Cells, said research so far
proves what the name suggests: Radio waves can heat
nanoparticles and kill cancer cells.
With neither college nor medical degrees, Mr. Kanzius of
nearby Millcreek built, owned and operated radio and
television stations at Jet Broadcasting, based in Erie.
After being diagnosed with b-cell leukemia five years
ago, and seeing the impact radiation and chemotherapies had
on fellow cancer patients, he invented a procedure that uses
radio frequencies from outside the body to heat up
nanoparticles and other molecules inside the body to kill
targeted cancer cells.
Dr. Curley has submitted two research manuscripts for
publication and was unable to provide the latest results.
But he said he is testing the treatment of human cancer
strains in animals.
"I'm excited" with results, he said, describing the use
of physics rather than medicine to kill cancer and saying it
potentially will eliminate the harsh side effects of
traditional therapies.
The next challenge is getting nanoparticles inside only
the cancer cells, which Dr. Curley said is a feasible
proposition for most cancers.
"This is the most exciting new therapy for cancer that I
have seen in over 20 years of cancer research," he said.
After Dr. Curley's two-hour presentation, former Erie Mayor
Joyce Savocchio of the Community United for a Cancer Cure
announced its goal to raise $3 million in Erie County to
fund research at M.D. Anderson and the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Curley, who developed
invasive radio-frequency devices to kill liver tumors,
detailed a strategy to land U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approval to test the Kanzius protocol in
humans.
He said he had never witnessed such overwhelming response
to research as happened Saturday in Erie, where Mayor Joseph
Sinnott, Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio, Ms. Savocchio
and Bishop Donald W. Trautman of the Catholic Diocese of
Erie participated in the symposium. Officials vowed to try
tapping Erie casino tax revenues to help fund the research.
Mr. Kanzius, 63, and Dr. Curley said Erie would be a site
for phase two human clinical trials, once the FDA gives
approval for such trials.
Because the procedure uses Mr. Kanzius' radio-frequency
invention, they said upcoming medical journal articles could
create initial demand for the equipment. If the procedure
eventually gets full FDA approval, worldwide demand for the
equipment could create a $10 billion industry in Erie.
Mr. Kanzius, who has been granted international patents
for the entire treatment protocol, repeated what others
described as a historic day in Erie.
"There's no reason to offer hope if what you are telling
them is not for real," he said. "In this case, where there's
smoke, there's fire."
(David Templeton can be reached at dtempleton@post-gazette.com
or 412-263-1578. ) |
