Today some of the most aggressive solid tumor cancers remain stubbornly resistant to treatment. There are many reasons why these cancers are difficult to treat, including mutations they may express or where they are located in the body.
At Novocure, our work is focused on advancing treatment for these cancers, the ones that, despite the advances in treatment, still have poor survival rates and remain difficult to treat.
Whether cells are healthy or cancerous, they all have parts that are electrically charged. In solid tumor cancer cells, these electrically charged components make them vulnerable to the treatment approach we have developed at Novocure called Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy. It uses alternating electric fields that can kill cancer cells through a variety of mechanisms.
Tumors continue to grow or spread because cancer cells grow rapidly and divide into new cells. The process of cell division, also called mitosis, is directed by electrical charges in the cell.
TTFields therapy disrupts the electrical charges by delivering alternating electrical fields into tumors. In cell division, once the electrical charges in cancer cells are disrupted, cell division cannot be completed, which can result in cancer cell death.
Because cancer cells differ from healthy cells in many ways, including how quickly they reproduce, and their electrical properties, TTFields therapy does not generally affect healthy cells.
TTFields therapy is approved to treat multiple solid tumor cancers. It is delivered through a non-invasive, wearable medical device, and due to its multimechanistic actions, it can be added to other cancer treatments in approved indications and demonstrates enhanced effects across solid tumor types when used with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immune checkpoint inhibitors.
We continue to investigate the potential of TTFields to treat solid tumor cancers and have recently shared positive data from Phase 3 studies in pancreatic cancer and metastatic brain tumors caused by lung cancer.
The challenge of discovering and developing cancer treatment for solid tumor cancers is one we share with a dedicated community of researchers, healthcare providers, investigators, and the patients and families who participate in and support clinical studies. We are grateful to these and the many other people supporting our patient-focused mission to extend the lives of those living with aggressive cancers.
