WASHINGTON – Device maker Novocure said Friday that the Food and Drug Administration approved its first-of-a-kind treatment that fights cancerous brain tumors using electrical energy fields.
The FDA approved the device for patients with aggressive brain tumors that have returned after treatment with chemotherapy and other interventions. Patients with recurring brain cancer usually live only a few months.
Studies showed that people using the device lived about as long as those taking chemotherapy, roughly six months. However, patients using the device had significantly fewer side effects.
Because cancer cells replicate so quickly, this allows the new technology to affect cancer cells while having minimum impact on healthy cells. While it isn't extending life beyond that of chemotherapy at the moment, it's a baby step in the right direction. The problem all along has been how to target cancer cells rather than healthy cells, and chemotherapy can be brutal. If it does nothing but improve quality of life for those facing terminal cancer, it's still a help for those who have suffered enough.
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