Efficacy and selectivity of tumor-treating field therapy for triple-negative breast cancer cells via in-house delivery device

Austin R Smothers; Jason R Henderson; John J O'Connell; Jonathan M Stenbeck; Delphine Dean; Tyler G Harvey; Brian W Booth

doi:10.1007/s12672-023-00647-w

Efficacy and selectivity of tumor-treating field therapy for triple-negative breast cancer cells via in-house delivery device

Discov Oncol. 2023 Mar 29;14(1):34. doi: 10.1007/s12672-023-00647-w.

Authors

Austin R Smothers^{1

2}, Jason R Henderson³, John J O'Connell^{4

5

6}, Jonathan M Stenbeck⁴, Delphine Dean^{1

2}, Tyler G Harvey², Brian W Booth⁷

Affiliations

¹ Center for Innovative Medical Devices and Sensors (REDDI Lab), Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
² Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
³ Quiverent LLC, Greenville, SC, USA.
⁴ Prisma Health Cancer Institute, Prisma Health, Greenville, SC, USA.
⁵ Clemson University School of Health Research, Clemson, SC, USA.
⁶ University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA.
⁷ Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA. brbooth@clemson.edu.

Abstract

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death in women, making up 7% of all cancer deaths. Tumor-treating electric fields are low-energy, low-frequency oscillating electric fields that induce an anti-proliferative effect on mitotic cells in glioblastoma multiforme, non-small cell lung cancer, and ovarian cancer. Little is known about effects of tumor-treating fields on triple-negative breast cancer and known research for tumor-treating fields only utilizes low (< 3 V/cm) electric field intensities.

Methods: We have developed an in-house field delivery device capable of high levels of customization to explore a much wider variety of electric field and treatment parameters. Furthermore, we investigated the selectivity of tumor-treating field treatment between triple-negative breast cancer and human breast epithelial cells.

Results: Tumor-treating fields show greatest efficacy against triple-negative breast cancer cell lines between 1 and 3 V/cm electric field intensities while having little effect on epithelial cells.

Conclusion: These results provide a clear therapeutic window for tumor-treating field delivery to triple-negative breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Electric field intensity; Oscillating electric fields; Radiotherapy; Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); Tumor-treating fields (TTFields).