A new cancer treatment using electricity has been approved
for use in mesothelioma patients. The NovoTTF-100L uses Tumor Treating Fields,
which are electric signals tuned to a specific frequency, to disrupt cancerous
cell division. The fields are applied to the patient with adhesive bandages and
are used for at least 18 hours a day. This is the first new treatment for
mesothelioma approved by the FDA in 15 years, and is showing promising results
because the mesothelioma tumors are very sensitive to the Tumor Treating Fields
and are responding nicely to them. In a study of 80 pleural mesothelioma
sufferers who were treated with chemotherapy and Tumor Treating Fields, there
was a median overall survival of 18.2 months. The NovoTTF-100L was able to be approved
as a Humanitarian Use Device under the Humanitarian Device Exemption, which
helps companies create treatments for rare diseases that not many people suffer
from.
The device will usually be prescribed when a patient has
pleural mesothelioma that cannot be treated with surgery or radiation. When
using the treatment, patients are also being treated with chemotherapy.
Together, they can extend the lives of patients with mesothelioma. Some
patients had to deal with complications including skin irritation, rash, and
small sores and blisters where the adhesive pads attached to the body. The
patients were treated with steroid creams and the adhesive pads were moved to a
different equally effective part of the body. Once the treatment was done, the
skin problems went away. This treatment is dangerous for and should not be used
on patients with electric medical devices including pacemakers and automatic
defribulators. It should also not be used on people with a sensitivity to conductive
hydrogels.
The NovoTTF-100L is a great option for people who are not
able to receive surgery. The device is not invasive and does not require
patients to deal with incisions or devices implanted into the body. The first
mesothelioma patient to be treated with the device is in Memphis, Tennessee.
His doctors are expecting good results, with 97 percent of the disease being
controlled by the end of year one. This keeps the disease stable for a period
of time, allowing the patient to live longer.
There are a few problems associated with the device,
including patients taking the device off early. Since it is used at home
without supervision, patients can take it off or shut it off early and not get
the benefits of the treatment for the right length of time. Being hooked up to
a device for 18 hours a day is a long time, so patients could become frustrated
with it. Patients also have to shave the area where the pads go, which are
changed every two or three days. It can also be cumbersome to carry around a
machine all day to be treated. It could get in the way of doing daily
activities, but at the end of the day it can help people, so it being cumbersome
and getting in the way should not stop patients from using it.
Sources:
“FDA Approves the NovoTTF-100L System in Combination with
Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma” Novocure (May
23, 2019). [Link]
Jessica Holley, “West Cancer Center first to debut new
FDA-approved cancer treatment in country” WMC Action News (September 26, 2019).
[Link]
“NovoTTF-100L System – H180002” U.S. Food & Drug
Administration (May 28, 2019). [Link]