Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ 08028, USA.
Department of Neuro-Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
J Mol Cell Biol. 2022 Dec 26;14(8). doi: 10.1093/jmcb/mjac047.
Despite improved survival outcomes across many cancer types, the prognosis remains grim for certain solid organ cancers including glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. Invariably in these cancers, the control achieved by time-limited interventions such as traditional surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy is short-lived. A new form of anti-cancer therapy called therapeutic alternating electric fields (AEFs) or tumor treating fields (TTFields) has been shown, either by itself or in combination with chemotherapy, to have anti-cancer effects that translate to improved survival outcomes in patients. Although the pre-clinical and clinical data are promising, the mechanisms of TTFields are not fully elucidated. Many investigations are underway to better understand how and why TTFields is able to selectively kill cancer cells and impede their proliferation. The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss the reported mechanisms of action of TTFields from pre-clinical studies (both in vitro and in vivo). An improved understanding of how TTFields works will guide strategies focused on the timing and combination of TTFields with other therapies, to further improve survival outcomes in patients with solid organ cancers.
尽管许多癌症类型的生存率都有所提高，但某些实体瘤癌症（包括胶质母细胞瘤和胰腺癌）的预后仍然很严峻。在这些癌症中，传统的手术切除、放疗和化疗等限时干预所取得的控制效果是短暂的。一种新的抗癌疗法，称为治疗性交变电场（AEFs）或肿瘤治疗电场（TTFields），已被证明具有抗癌作用，无论是单独使用还是与化疗联合使用，都能改善患者的生存结果。尽管临床前和临床数据很有希望，但 TTFields 的作用机制尚未完全阐明。许多研究正在进行中，以更好地了解 TTFields 如何以及为何能够选择性地杀死癌细胞并阻碍其增殖。本文的目的是总结和讨论 TTFields 的作用机制的报道从临床前研究（包括在体外和体内）。更好地了解 TTFields 的工作原理将指导集中于 TTFields 与其他疗法的时间和组合的策略，以进一步提高实体瘤癌症患者的生存结果。
