What Is NovoCure Therapy And What Cancers Can It Treat?

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, chances are you are researching all the available treatment options. For some types of cancer, NovoCure technology is proving to offer an effective alternative treatment.

What is NovoCure technology?

NovoCure is a pioneering, non-invasive technology that has proven effective for treating certain types of cancer. It uses tumour treating fields (TTFields) to target the tumour. TTFields therapy works by interrupting the division of cancer cells.

It does this by using low-intensity alternating electrical fields to disrupt the tumour, which can slow down its growth or even stop a tumour from growing further.

TTFields therapy can also prevent cancer from spreading, or slow its progression to other parts of the body.

The reason it works is because cancer cells have electrically charged components. As a result, they can be affected by changes in electrical fields. What’s more, because cancer cells have different properties to healthy cells, TTFields therapy does not affect healthy cells.

What cancers can NovoCure technology treat?

At present, NovoCure technology is approved for use on hard-to-treat cancers, such as mesothelioma and glioblastoma.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused most often by occupational exposure to asbestos. It most commonly occurs in the lungs, due to asbestos being inhaled inadvertently while being either installed or removed.

Across Europe, mesothelioma has been identified as the second most common occupational cancer following lung cancer. In 2021, EU figures suggest there were 2,380 preventable deaths due to mesothelioma.

Italy, Germany and France experienced the highest rate of mesothelioma-related deaths in 2021, highlighting the need for an effective treatment option.

Once mesothelioma develops, which can happen between 15 and 40 years after asbestos exposure, it typically grows quickly and has low rates of survivability. This is why research into TTFields therapy for this particular cancer is so valuable.

Glioblastoma, meanwhile, is one of the most common and most aggressive forms of brain tumour. The survival rate at two years post-diagnosis is currently 25 per cent.

However, research into TTFields therapy for glioblastoma has found that it can increase a patient’s lifespan and improve their quality of life. What’s more, when TTFields therapy is combined with an oral chemotherapy drug – temozolomide, or TMZ – it can significantly extend a patient’s life.

One study found that TTFields therapy combined with maintenance TMZ resulted in an overall median survival of 40 months. This is considerably longer than the average of 24 months for those who don’t receive this treatment option.

Research is also ongoing to determine whether TTFields therapy could also be appropriate for the likes of lung and pancreatic cancers. The hope is that this could become an additional therapy to support patients fighting a range of cancers in future.

What happens during NovoCure therapy?

During NovoCure therapy your tumour will receive targeted electrical fields via non-invasive adhesive transducer arrays that are placed on your skin. You’ll often need to wear these for several hours at a time.

However, there will be no need to sit in a medical facility while doing so. One of the beauties of this treatment is that it is completely portable. That means you can continue with your life as normal, carrying the TTFields device with you.

The device itself will fit in a backpack, which means it isn’t onerous to carry with you.

This enables us to deliver your TTFields therapy around the clock without impacting your daily activities or preventing you from travelling and generally living your life.

We’ll provide support to set up the device initially, as well as continued care and support around ongoing device use, skin care and ensuring your comfort is maintained throughout your treatment.

There are very few reported common side effects from TTFields therapy. The most common issue patients are likely to experience is skin irritation beneath the transducer arrays. This is why we offer explicit support around skin care and comfort.

What are the main benefits of TTFields therapy?

TTFields therapy, like that offered via NovoCure technology, can not only improve survivability rates for those with life-limiting cancers like mesothelioma and glioblastoma.

It will also improve your quality of life because it does not cause the same kinds of side effects as other cancer treatments. This will give you more energy for the activities that matter to you and ensure you are able to make the most of every day.

Each NovoCure therapy treatment plan is bespoke and designed to not only target your cancer in the most effective way, but also to fit in with your lifestyle.

This gives you much greater freedom and a sense of control over your treatment, which can sometimes feel lacking with other options.