The Mechanisms of Action of Tumor Treating Fields

Tumor treating fields (TTFields), a new modality of cancer treatment, are electric fields transmitted transdermally to tumors. The FDA has approved TTFields for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme and mesothelioma, and they are cur-rently under study in many other cancer types. While antimi-totic effects were the first recognized biological anticancer activity of TTFields, data have shown that tumor treating fields achieve their anticancer effects through multiple mechanisms of action. TTFields therefore have the ability to be useful for many cancer types in combination with many different treatment modalities. Here, we review the current understanding of TTFields and their mechanisms of action.

Automated summary

TTFields, a new modality of cancer treatment, achieve their anticancer effects through multiple mechanisms of action and have the ability to be useful for many cancer types in combination with different treatment modalities.