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what the heck are ttfields and should I even worry about it right now

Patient · · 9 views
So my oncologist at Karmanos threw this term at me last week, tumor treating fields, and honestly it went right over my head. I'm still recovering from the EPP surgery in Feb so I wasn't really ready to add another thing to the list.

But I asked Dr. Patel to explain it like I'm not a doctor and here's what I got. It's basically this vest thing with electrodes that you wear for like 18 hours a day and it sends some kind of electric current through your chest to mess with the cancer cells so they can't divide or multiply or whatever. Not chemo, not radiation, just electricity basically.

From what I gathered it's newer and they're still figuring out how good it actually works. Some people say it helped, some people say it's just another thing strapped to your body when you're already feeling like garbage from the tune-up. The thing is you gotta wear it constantly and it's bulky so if you're trying to like go back to work or spend time with your family it's kinda in the way.

I'm not doing it right now because honestly I'm only Stage I and my surgeon and oncologist both said let's see how the chemo goes first. But if things don't go the way we want they said it's an option to talk about.

Anybody here actually using one of these things? What's the real deal?

2 Replies

Veteran
Got the briefing on TTFields when I was at the VA clinic in Norfolk back in July, right after my pleurectomy. They hit me with the same pitch. Wear it 18 hours a day, electrodes, the whole nine yards.

Here's what I'll tell you. I'm Stage II and my oncologist said the data on pleural cases is still thin compared to other cancers. They wanted me to consider it after chemo but honestly the recovery from surgery was enough. I wasn't ready to strap another device to my chest when I could barely get through a full day without needing a nap.

Your approach sounds solid though. Let the chemo do its work first. That's what most of the docs recommended to me too. The TTFields thing, it's not going anywhere if you need it down the line. Right now you're still healing from that EPP and that's the priority.

The people I talked to who used one said the biggest complaint wasn't the electricity part, it was the logistics. Can't shower with it, can't sleep easy, can't just throw on a shirt and go. One guy told me he had to change his whole work setup because of the cables and batteries. But if it's buying you time and your numbers are trending the wrong way, that calculus changes quick.

Stay in touch with Dr. Patel about where you're at after chemo cycles through. You'll know more then anyway.
Medical Expert Response
The STELLAR trial is worth looking up when you're ready, it's the main study Novocure ran for mesothelioma specifically and it showed a median overall survival of 18.2 months with TTFields plus chemotherapy versus 12.1 months with chemo alone. Not a cure, and the trial had limitations, but that's a real signal.

What doesn't get talked about enough is the compliance piece. The device tracks how many hours you actually wear it, and the patients in that trial who wore it more than 18 hours a day consistently did better than those who didn't hit that threshold. So the bulkiness Frank mentioned from Norfolk isn't just a comfort issue, it actually affects whether the thing works.

Given you're Stage I post-EPP and still in chemo, your team is right to table it for now. But worth asking Dr. Patel specifically what your compliance target would look like if you do add it down the road, because going back to work while hitting 18 hours a day is... a real conversation to have before you commit.

Talk to your own oncologist before making any decisions on this, but don't let the device intimidate you before you've even seen the data.

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