Glioblastoma is an aggressive and often treatment-resistant brain cancer with few effective therapeutic options. Standard treatments frequently fail to eliminate tumor stem cells that drive recurrence and resistance, making durable responses rare. Now, a new non-invasive approach using very low-level, tumor-targeted radiofrequency signals has shown the ability to slow glioblastoma growth and specifically affect tumor stem cells, offering a potential alternative strategy for patients.

The approach, developed by researchers at Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI, Detroit, MI, USA), uses a device from TheraBionic (Bloomfield Township, MI, USA) to deliver amplitude-modulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (AM RF EMF) at 27.12 MHz via intrabuccal application, producing systemic, low-energy exposure tuned to tumor-associated frequencies.

The therapy is designed to target glioblastoma-specific frequencies while remaining safe and minimally invasive, allowing repeated daily exposure without obvious toxicity. Laboratory work combined modeling and experimental assays to probe the mechanism and optimize frequency tuning and delivery parameters.

In cell and tissue experiments, the frequency-matched AM RF EMF markedly slowed the growth of multiple glioblastoma cell lines and preferentially affected tumor stem cells that typically resist standard therapies. The treatment disrupted mitotic spindle formation and altered expression of genes linked to cell division, notably pathways described as “Mitotic Roles of Polo-Like Kinase.” The paper reporting these results was published in Oncotarget and also showed that the therapy’s effects require the Cav3.2 (CACNA1H) calcium channel — blocking Cav3.2 abolished the response.

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