Tronado Machine
Encyclopedia
The Tronado Machine was a device which employed ultra high frequency
or microwave
radiation as a hyperthermia therapy
for cancer
; however, tests have failed to back its treatment claims. A man named Tronado designed the machine in the 1970s.
The treatment was improved and a new type of machine built by Dr John Holt who was formerly Head of Oncology
at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
, Perth, Western Australia
. He later established an independent clinic in West Perth. After Holt's retirement the clinic moved to Claremont
where a research institute was established alongside the clinic. A further treating facility was established by Dr Hugh Tinsley in Dublin, Ireland. This clinic and the treatment were assessed by the Irish government and the clinic received government grants to assist with the ongoing costs of establishment.
of Australia have concluded that UHF Radiowave therapy produces no therapeutic benefit when used in conjunction with conventional cancer treatment. The report Review of the Use of Microwave Therapy for the Treatment of Patients with Cancer conducted a review of the literature as well as an audit of Dr. Holt's patient records between 1973 and 2003. Regarding the literature review, the report stated "There is currently no published scientific evidence that shows benefit of UHF cancer therapy alone or when combined with ‘glucose-blocking agents’ (GBA) as treatment for patients with cancer."
Regarding the audit of Dr. Holt's clinical data, the report says, in part, "Despite the small patient treatment groups, some trends were evident in this audit. Firstly, the complete remission rates were not high in any group. The study did not confirm Dr Holt’s previous reports of a 100% response rate for bladder tumours (Holt, 1988). The initial response rate (complete response and partial response) was 50% for RT alone, 34% for RT + UHF and 17% for UHF + GBA. Following salvage surgery, the overall response rate (complete response and partial response) was higher for patients treated with RT alone (44%) compared to RT+UHF (25%) or UHF + GBA (11%)."
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
or microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
radiation as a hyperthermia therapy
Hyperthermia therapy
Hyperthermia therapy is a type of medical treatment in which body tissue is exposed to slightly higher temperatures to damage and kill cancer cells or to make cancer cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation and certain anti-cancer drugs...
for cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
; however, tests have failed to back its treatment claims. A man named Tronado designed the machine in the 1970s.
The treatment was improved and a new type of machine built by Dr John Holt who was formerly Head of Oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital is one of Australia's leading teaching hospitals, and is located in Nedlands, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia...
, Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. He later established an independent clinic in West Perth. After Holt's retirement the clinic moved to Claremont
Claremont, Western Australia
Claremont is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia on the north bank of the Swan River.-History:Prior to European settlement, the Noongar people used the area as a source of water, for fishing and for catching waterfowl. In 1830, John Butler, a settler, set up an inn at Freshwater Bay to...
where a research institute was established alongside the clinic. A further treating facility was established by Dr Hugh Tinsley in Dublin, Ireland. This clinic and the treatment were assessed by the Irish government and the clinic received government grants to assist with the ongoing costs of establishment.
Lack of scientific validation
Tests conducted on behalf of the National Health and Medical Research CouncilNational Health and Medical Research Council
The National Health and Medical Research Council is Australia's peak funding body for medical research, with a budget of roughly 700 million dollars a year...
of Australia have concluded that UHF Radiowave therapy produces no therapeutic benefit when used in conjunction with conventional cancer treatment. The report Review of the Use of Microwave Therapy for the Treatment of Patients with Cancer conducted a review of the literature as well as an audit of Dr. Holt's patient records between 1973 and 2003. Regarding the literature review, the report stated "There is currently no published scientific evidence that shows benefit of UHF cancer therapy alone or when combined with ‘glucose-blocking agents’ (GBA) as treatment for patients with cancer."
Regarding the audit of Dr. Holt's clinical data, the report says, in part, "Despite the small patient treatment groups, some trends were evident in this audit. Firstly, the complete remission rates were not high in any group. The study did not confirm Dr Holt’s previous reports of a 100% response rate for bladder tumours (Holt, 1988). The initial response rate (complete response and partial response) was 50% for RT alone, 34% for RT + UHF and 17% for UHF + GBA. Following salvage surgery, the overall response rate (complete response and partial response) was higher for patients treated with RT alone (44%) compared to RT+UHF (25%) or UHF + GBA (11%)."
External links
- Cancer patients - beware of 'cancer cures', PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
media release from NHMRC. - Radio-Wave Cancer Therapy, Layperson's Description of the Holt Method!
- John Holt and the Media, including his response to the Australian government report
- Dr. John Holt's own documentation of his treatment method