CClinicalTrials.gg
WithdrawnNCT04210726Updated Jul 27, 2023

Effect of Salt Solution Immersion Bath on Cancer in Vivo.

An interventional study of 25% Hypertonic Saline Bath and 0.9% Isotonic Saline Bath in Cancer, sponsored by Rafik Batroussy. Withdrawn at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 5 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-07-27.

Sponsored by Rafik Batroussy · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was withdrawn
Working on complying with the Research Ethics Board requirements.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
5 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This Study evaluates the effectiveness of Hypertonic Saline Bath in reducing the Cancer nodules' size, number and SUVmax.

Read the detailed description

Many previous studies have shown that the Cancer cells are over-hydrated, and that Hyponatraemia exists in many cases of Cancer. The Cancer cell's viability depends on Angiogenesis and formation of blood vessels that carry water and nutrient to the rapidly-dividing Cancer cells. This study tests the hypothesis that disrupting the water content of blood could lead to increasing its Tonicity and hence withdrawing water from the Cancer cells by Osmosis, which can result in disrupting the growth of the Cancer cell itself. This disruption of Blood Water content can be achieved using Osmotic Pressure differential via immersing the whole body in Hypertonic Saline Solution for a certain amount of time, thus making the Blood more Hypertonic relative to the cells of the body and of the cancer, leading to water withdrawal from the cells of the body and of the cancer. While body's cells can sustain temporary dehydration, Cancer cells could be negatively affected.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cancer
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Rafik Batroussy is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
5 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with PET/CT scan-confirmed Cancer (any type, any location and any stage) who have poorly responded to at least one cycle of conventional and standard therapy (Chemotherapy, Radiation or Drug therapy) .
  • Age 5 to 80 years old
  • Life expectancy of at least 1 year
  • Can understand and read English
  • Lives in Calgary Alberta

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with the following medical conditions will be excluded:

  1. Kidney diseases
  2. Dialysis
  3. Fever
  4. On Blood Thinners or with any Coagulation disorder
  5. History of stroke
  6. Hypernatraemia
  7. Hypotension (Low Blood Pressure)
  8. Hypovolemia/Dehydration
  9. Tachycardia (Rapid Heart rate)
  10. Epilepsy
  11. Open wounds
  12. Any medical condition that might cause the patient to lose consciousness
  13. Participants who cannot tolerate thirst during the 30 minutes bath.
  14. Participants who are not residents of Calgary Alberta Canada with a valid Alberta Health Card.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Active Group - 25% Saline Bath

    The Active group's patients will separately have an immersion bath in 25% Sea Salt in Water solution (made by adding pure Sodium Chloride in the form of Sea Salt to Tap Water Bath) at a temperature comfortable to every participant (please note that Solubility of Sodium Chloride in Water does not change significantly with change in temperature, therefore the concentration will remain the same regardless of water temperature), whereas the bath solution is in direct contact with the skin, for 30 minutes once daily for 7 consecutive days, in addition to their standard treatments they receive from their health care providers.

    Drug: 25% Hypertonic Saline Bath

  • Placebo comparator
    Control Group - 0.9% Saline Bath

    The Control group's patients will separately have a bath in 0.9% Sea Salt in Water (Isotonic solution, made by adding Sodium Chloride in form of Sea Salt to Tap Water) at a comfortable temperature whereas the bath solution is in direct contact with the skin, for 30 minutes once daily for 7 consecutive days, in addition to their standard treatments they receive from their health care providers

    Other: 0.9% Isotonic Saline Bath

Interventions

  • Drug25% Hypertonic Saline Bath

    25% Sea Salt (mainly Sodium Chloride - NaCl) in Tap Water Immersion Bath (made by adding Sodium Chloride in the form of Sea Salt to Tap Water to a concentration of 25%).

  • Other0.9% Isotonic Saline Bath

    0.9% Sea Salt (mainly Sodium Chloride - NaCl) in Tap Water Immersion Bath (made by adding Sodium Chloride in the form of Sea Salt to Tap Water to a concentration of 0.9%).

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Reduction in Tumors size

    Tumor responses are evaluated in terms of change in tumor size represented by the linear measurements of all targeted lesions. The Hypertonic Sea Salt Bath intervention will be considered effective if there is a statistically-significant reduction in Means of the measured Cancer Cells sizes/dimensions for the same nodules between the two groups using a One-Way ANOVA test.

    Time frame: 6 month

  2. Reduction in Tumors lesions numbers

    Tumor responses are evaluated in terms of change in tumor lesions number. The Hypertonic Sea Salt Bath intervention will be considered effective if there is a statistically-significant reduction in Means of the Cancer lesions number for the same nodules between the two groups using a One-Way ANOVA test.

    Time frame: 6 month

  3. Reduction in Tumors lesions SUVmax (FDG-Maximum Standardized Uptake Values)

    Tumor responses are evaluated in terms of change in tumor SUV max (FDG-Maximum Standardized Uptake Values). The Hypertonic Sea Salt Bath intervention will be considered effective if there is a statistically-significant reduction in Means of the measured Cancer lesions SUVmax values for the same nodules between the two groups using a One-Way ANOVA test.

    Time frame: 6 month

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Rafik Batroussy
    Calgary, Alberta, Canada
08

References and documents

Publications

  • McIntyre GI. Cell hydration as the primary factor in carcinogenesis: A unifying concept. Med Hypotheses. 2006;66(3):518-26. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2005.09.022. Epub 2005 Nov 3. PubMed 16271440 ↗
  • Machado M, Salgado TM, Hadgraft J, Lane ME. The relationship between transepidermal water loss and skin permeability. Int J Pharm. 2010 Jan 15;384(1-2):73-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2009.09.044. Epub 2009 Sep 30. PubMed 19799976 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 27, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04210726
Lead sponsor
Rafik Batroussy
Responsible party
Rafik Batroussy (Principal Investigator, Batroussy, Rafik) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Dec 26, 2019
Start date
Mar 2020 (estimated)
Primary completion
Dec 2020 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 2021 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 27, 2023

Study contacts

Rafik Batroussy
study chair · Independent Researcher

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is withdrawn, as verified in Jul 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion