TREATING CANCER WITH ELECTRIC FIELDS THAT ARE GUIDED TO DESIRED LOCATIONS WITHIN A BODY

摘要

Electric fields with certain characteristics have been shown to be effectiveat inhibiting the growth of cancer cells (and other rapidly dividing cells).However, when the cancer is located in a target region beneath the surface ofa body, it can be difficult to deliver the beneficial fields to the targetregion. This difficulty can be surmounted by positioning a biocompatible fieldguide between the surface of the body and the target region, positioningelectrodes on either side of the field guide, and applying an AC voltage withan appropriate frequency and amplitude between the electrodes. Thisarrangement causes the field guide to route the beneficial field to the targetregion. In an alternative embodiment, one of the electrodes is positioneddirectly on top of the field guide.