The discovery of the microwave thermodynamic effect of hematoporphyrin and exploration of its clinical application

This study reports the first discovery of the microwave thermodynamic effect of hematoporphyrin and explores its clinical application in refractory solid tumors. Our findings demonstrate that under microwave irradiation, hematoporphyrin significantly enhances the production of reactive oxygen species within tumor cells and induces ferroptosis via mechanisms including lipid peroxidation, iron accumulation, and glutathione depletion. In vitro experiments revealed that hematoporphyrin-mediated microwave thermodynamic therapy (MTT) significantly suppressed the migratory ability of U87 glioma cells and altered the expression of ferroptosis-related markers such as GPX4 and SLC7A11. Clinically, hematoporphyrin-assisted MTT was successfully applied to a patient with gastric signet ring cell carcinoma and "frozen abdomen, " achieving symptom relief and improved quality of life. In conclusion, this study uncovers a novel sensitizing mechanism of hematoporphyrin in microwave therapy and presents a promising therapeutic strategy for difficult-to-treat malignancies.