“Zapping” the cancer away

Soon, physicians might be able to help patients “zap the cancer away” by harnessing the effect electric fields have on cancer cells.

Researchers at MIT have developed a device that is able to measure the effects that these fields, and the results are making waves in the fight against cancer. They found that using low-intensity, middle-frequency electric fields on patients with breast and lung cancer was able to stop cancer cells from growing and spreading, while healthy cells remained unaffected.  

"We hope this device will increase interest by researchers who are exploring the effect of electric fields on different types of cancer," says MIT researcher Giulia Adriani. "In our study, we noticed the effect was limited to the cancer cell at the tested frequencies and intensities, but we really need to explore other cells and parameters."

Using electric fields at frequencies of 150 or 200 kilohertz at 1.1 volts per centimeter resulted in a slow of cancer cell growth after just three days, while healthy endothelial cells remained unaffected by the electric field. When the electric field was removed, cancer cells began spreading after two days.

"For personalized medicine, you can test if a recipe works for a specific person," Adriani says. "In three days, you can have an answer. And for many cancer patients who are dying of metastasis, time is everything."