A toy model of fractal glioma development under RF electric field treatment

TL;DR

This paper proposes a simplified fractal-based model for glioma development and treatment using radio frequency electric fields, suggesting a new mechanism for non-invasive brain cancer therapy through enhanced electroporation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel toy model incorporating fractal glioma structure and predicts a giant enhancement of tumor-treating fields leading to effective electroporation treatment.

Findings

Enhanced TTF effectiveness in fractal glioma model

Potential for non-invasive electroporation therapy

Interplay between TTF and cell migration-proliferation dichotomy

Abstract

A toy model for glioma treatment by a radio frequency electric field is suggested. This low-intensity, intermediate-frequency alternating electric field is known as the tumor-treating-field (TTF). In the framework of this model the efficiency of this TTF is estimated, and the interplay between the TTF and the migration-proliferation dichotomy of cancer cells is considered. The model is based on a modification of a comb model for cancer cells, where the migration-proliferation dichotomy becomes naturally apparent. Considering glioma cancer as a fractal dielectric composite of cancer cells and normal tissue cells, a new effective mechanism of glioma treatment is suggested in the form of a giant enhancement of the TTF. This leads to the irreversible electroporation that may be an effective non-invasive method of treating brain cancer.