Tumor Treating Fields for Chemotherapy-Naïve Cancer Patients
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of standard-of-care and profibrotic chemotherapeutic agents prior to tumor treating fields (TTFields) treatment leads to fibrosis in tumors, reducing the effectiveness of TTFields due to decreased tumor conductivity.
Innovation Solution
Administer TTFields in conjunction with chemotherapeutic agents to subjects naive to standard-of-care and profibrotic chemotherapies, enhancing treatment efficacy by applying an alternating electric field to target regions and administering chemotherapeutic agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard-of-care and profibrotic chemotherapeutic agents are administered prior to TTFields treatment, then initial tumor response is achieved, but tumor conductivity decreases due to fibrosis, reducing TTFields effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by selecting patients who have not yet received profibrotic chemotherapeutic agents before initiating TTFields treatment. This preventive approach avoids the development of tumor fibrosis that would otherwise occur with prior chemotherapy exposure, thereby maintaining tumor conductivity and ensuring TTFields effectiveness throughout the treatment course.
2Reliability
If profibrotic chemotherapeutic agents are used to treat cancer, then tumor cell death is achieved, but tumor tissue becomes fibrotic and less conductive to electric fields
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prevents the harmful effect of fibrosis by taking preliminary action - selecting patients who have not yet been exposed to profibrotic chemotherapeutic agents. This ensures that when TTFields treatment begins, the tumor tissue maintains its natural conductivity properties, allowing the electric fields to effectively target and destroy cancer cells without the interfering barrier of fibrotic tissue.
3Reliability
If alternating electric fields are applied to fibrotic tumors, then treatment duration is extended, but treatment efficacy is reduced due to poor field penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by ensuring patients are selected before they develop tumor fibrosis from prior chemotherapy. This preventive selection maintains optimal tumor conductivity from the outset, allowing TTFields to penetrate effectively and achieve treatment goals within standard timeframes, rather than requiring extended treatment periods that would be necessary if attempting to treat already-fibrotic tumors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in statistically significant improved survival rates for cancer patients, particularly those naive to standard-of-care chemotherapy and profibrotic treatments, when compared to patients previously exposed to such treatments.
Implementation Method 1
Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are low intensity (e.g., 1-3 V/cm) alternating electric fields within the intermediate frequency range (such as, but not limited to, 100-500 kHz) that target solid tumors by disrupting mitosis.
Implementation Method 2
Each transducer array used for the delivery of TTFields in the OPTUNE® device comprises a set of ceramic disk electrodes, which are coupled to the patient's skin (such as, but not limited to, the patient's shaved head for treatment of GBM) through a layer of conductive medical gel.
Data Source
AI summary
Compositions, systems, and methods for and treating cancer, as well as preventing an increase of volume of a tumor present in a body of a living subject, are disclosed. The systems and methods involve selection of a subject that is naïve for at least one standard-of-care chemotherapeutic drug (such as, but not limited to, a fibrotic-inducing chemotherapeutic agent), followed by application to the selected subject of an alternating electric field. The method may further include concurrent administration of at least one chemotherapeutic agent to the subject.