A lung cancer tumor zapper packs an electrical punch
Imagine one of those electric bug zappers. They fly towards the blue light and—ZAP. It’s gone.
What if we took a similar approach to tumor cells?
The story: The FDA has approved Novocure’s new wearable device, Optune Lua, for treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
- The device’s approach is based on what’s called Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), which works by delivering alternating electrical fields to kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells.
- Patients eligible for the device must have metastatic cancer that has progressed after receiving platinum-based chemotherapy.
Electric wearable: Like an EKG reading the heart’s function, Novocure’s device relies on electrical arrays directly applied to the patient’s skin.
- But instead of reading the body’s existing electrical signals, this wearable exerts electricity on the body.
- Specifically, the physical force on the electrically-charged components of dividing cancer cells is what destroys them. Healthy cells remain unaffected.
- While in treatment, patients wear the device 18 hours per day.
How well does it work?: The device isn’t a home run—but the clinical results we do have indicate a clinically significant improvement in survival.
- Novocure reported preliminary results from a study of the device over a year ago.
- Based on this study, the current FDA approval is for treatment alongside specific types of immunotherapy or chemotherapy.
- Across the cohorts, use of the device was correlated with a clinically significant 3.3-month extension in median overall survival. In short, it won’t save a patient, but it can slow the cancer down.
The bright side: While three extra months may not seem like a lot for a healthy person, it is a big deal.
- In fact, it’s one of the first substantial improvements in treatment outcomes for the patient population in almost a decade.
- Plus, unlike many cancer treatments, the device isn’t associated with system-wide toxicity, meaning patients can tolerate it better.
- Here’s our take: Patients deserve treatments that extend their lives while maintaining quality of life. In cancer care, few advancements look anything like a slam dunk. Ones that achieve improvements in these two areas—even a little—are cause for celebration.