Breakthrough researches suggest that targeted electrical fields may disrupt the growth of cancer cells without strong side effects.
In the latest development in science, low-power electric fields can be used to fight cancer. This new technique, termed electrotherapy or tumor-treating fields (TTFields), could be used for gentler but equally effective cancer treatment options alongside chemotherapy or radiation.
How its work?
Cancer cells replicate uncontrollably, and the entire process of cell division relies on very delicate electrical signals in the cell. Researchers have been able to apply low-intensity alternating electric fields that can disrupt the whole signal and slow or even stop tumor growth. This strategy is more specific for cancer cells, with fewer side effects than attacking rapidly dividing cells in general, like chemotherapy.
Excellent innovation
These clinical trials appear to have produced fantastic results in treating aggressive cancers such as glioblastomas (a form of brain cancer that is practically fatal) and mesotheliomas. Some patients have even survived for extended periods at lower rates than sought by traditional therapies simply by using these TTFields devices, which are electrically conductive arrays of electrodes placed close to the tumor site.
The Future of Cancer Treatment?
Although still being developed, this technology promises to change the face of oncology already. Researchers are busy optimizing the technique, determining the frequency and delivery of the therapy for different types of cancers. Should it prove successful, electrotherapy may soon become routine in cancer management in isolation or with other treatment modalities.
Dr. Jane Harper says, a leading researcher in this field, “Electric fields provide an unprecedented opportunity to interfere with the very machinery of cancer itself. We hope to achieve treatments that are as easy as putting on a small device with the least disruption to normal routine.”
Challenges Ahead
However, the approach has its issues. There are tumor-access issues. Another limitation is the long-term efficiency, because a whole lot more large trials will have to take place before it becomes widely adopted, and these fail to ensure the kind of hope that all doctors and patients root for from a nearly non-invasive and side-effect-light therapy.
The research is going ahead under the idea that somehow, shocking cancer out of a human body will no longer be a science-fiction fantasy; it will be a reality in medicine.
