Brain cancer is a malignant tumor that affects the cells of the brain. It accounts for less than 2% of all cancers, but its impact on people’s lives is significant.

It causes various symptoms, including headaches, seizures, memory loss, and personality changes. The treatment options for brain cancer include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. However, these options are not always effective and can have severe side effects.

Scientists have been exploring alternative treatments for brain cancer, and one of the latest is electrical stimulation therapy.

Electrical stimulation therapy involves the use of tiny electric currents to treat various medical conditions, including chronic pain, epilepsy, and depression. Recently, researchers have found that electrical stimulation therapy can also help fight brain cancer.

The Evolution of Electrical Stimulation Therapy

The idea of using electrical stimulation therapy to treat brain cancer emerged in the early 2000s.

At that time, a group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, was exploring the use of electrical fields to prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells. They discovered that low-intensity electric fields could disrupt the division of cancer cells, preventing them from growing and reproducing.

After several years of research, the team developed a device called the OptuneTM, which delivers electric fields to the brain through four electrodes attached to the scalp.

The OptuneTM is designed to be worn by patients all day, every day, and it has been shown to increase survival rates and extend the time patients can live with brain cancer.

The OptuneTM has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of certain types of brain cancer, including glioblastoma, which is the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

How Electrical Stimulation Therapy Works

Electrical stimulation therapy works by delivering low-intensity electrical fields to the brain. These electrical fields disrupt the division of cancer cells, preventing them from growing and reproducing.

The electrical fields also attract certain types of cells, such as immune cells, to the site of the tumor. Once these immune cells arrive, they can attack the cancer cells and destroy them.

Electrical stimulation therapy is non-invasive and does not have the same side effects as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

It is also designed to work in combination with other treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy, to increase their effectiveness.

The Benefits of Electrical Stimulation Therapy

Electrical stimulation therapy has several benefits for brain cancer patients. It can increase survival rates, extend the time patients can live with brain cancer, and improve their quality of life.

One of the main benefits of electrical stimulation therapy is that it is non-invasive and does not have the same side effects as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Patients can wear the OptuneTM device at home while going about their daily activities without having to worry about hospital visits or recovery time.

Electrical stimulation therapy is also designed to work in combination with other treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy, to increase their effectiveness.

This means that patients can receive multiple treatments at once, which can help reduce the size of the tumor and slow down its growth.

The Success of Electrical Stimulation Therapy

The success of electrical stimulation therapy in the treatment of brain cancer has been encouraging. In clinical trials, the OptuneTM device has been shown to increase survival rates and extend the time patients can live with brain cancer.

One clinical trial, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2015, found that patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma who received electrical stimulation therapy along with chemotherapy lived on average four months longer than patients who only received chemotherapy.

Another clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2017, found that patients with glioblastoma who received electrical stimulation therapy along with chemotherapy had a 50% increase in progression-free survival compared to patients who only received chemotherapy.

The results of these clinical trials have led to the approval of the OptuneTM device by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of certain types of brain cancer.

The Future of Electrical Stimulation Therapy

Electrical stimulation therapy is still a relatively new treatment for brain cancer, and researchers are continuing to explore its potential.

One area of research is the use of electrical stimulation therapy in combination with other treatments, such as immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer.

Researchers are exploring the use of electrical stimulation therapy to enhance the immune response to cancer cells, which could improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy.

Another area of research is the development of new devices that can deliver electrical stimulation therapy more effectively. Researchers are exploring the use of implanted devices that can deliver electric fields directly to the site of the tumor.

These devices could potentially provide more targeted treatment, which could increase the effectiveness of electrical stimulation therapy.

Conclusion

The use of electrical stimulation therapy in the treatment of brain cancer is a positive surprise that has the potential to change the lives of millions of people.

The OptuneTM device has been shown to increase survival rates and extend the time patients can live with brain cancer. It is a non-invasive treatment that does not have the same side effects as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Researchers are continuing to explore the potential of electrical stimulation therapy and its use in combination with other treatments, such as immunotherapy.

The development of new devices that can deliver electrical stimulation therapy more effectively is also an area of active research.

Overall, electrical stimulation therapy is a promising new area of cancer treatment that has the potential to change the landscape of brain cancer treatment in the coming years.