Apparatus and method for optimizing and adapting treatment of multiple tumors in patients with metastatic disease by electric field

1 . A method of delivering tumor treating electric fields to a body of a patient, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a topography and location of at least two tumors in the patient;

placing mimicked tumors, representative of the tumors in the patient, in a phantom;

determining a spatial relationship between the at least two mimicked tumors;

positioning simulated arrays of simulated electrodes on the surface of the phantom;

implementing at least two subarray firing configurations for the simulated array of simulated electrode elements for targeting the at least two mimicked tumors, the at least two subarray firing configurations depending at least in part upon the spatial relationship between the at least two mimicked tumors;

running simulated TTF treatments of the mimicked tumors using selected pairs of electrodes in the simulated arrays to determine a field strength in the mimicked tumors;

altering electrical parameters including a frequency and an amplitude of an electrical signal applied to the selected pairs of electrodes on the phantom;

repeating the running and altering steps until a selected field strength of the electrical signal is obtained in the mimicked tumors with the electrical parameters of the electrical signal;

implementing arrays of electrodes on the patient that correspond to the simulated arrays; and

treating the tumors in the patient by using the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient that correspond to the parameters of the selected pairs on the phantom and the at least two subarray firing configurations.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the phantom has therein simulated organs and simulated structure each with simulated electrical properties, at least some of the structure and organs being in the path of and through which a simulated electric field travels between the selected pairs of electrodes by which the simulated TTF field strength at each mimicked tumor is determined in the running, altering and repeating steps.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:

obtaining a biopsy of at least one of the patient's tumors;

determining electrical properties of the biopsied tumor; and

entering the electrical properties of the biopsied tumor as electrical properties of the mimicked tumor prior to the running step.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical parameters of the electrical signal additionally includes a waveform shape.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further including determining a duty cycle of each simulated electrode and a temperature of each simulated electrode.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the treating the tumors step further includes using the duty cycle to control the temperature of the electrodes on the patient by using the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two subarray firing configurations is configured to generate a TTF in a different one of the at least two tumors.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the spatial relationship between the at least two mimicked tumors includes a distance or anatomical separation sufficient to require separate electric field pathways within the subarray firing configurations.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the spatial relationship between the at least two mimicked tumors determines an assignment of electrode elements to respective ones of the at least two subarray firing configurations.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two subarray firing configurations are implemented sequentially during treatment of the patient.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two subarray firing configurations are implemented simultaneously during treatment of the patient.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected field strength is independently optimized for each of the at least two mimicked tumors prior to treatment of the patient.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the spatial relationship between the at least two mimicked tumors determines at least one of:

(i) timing of energization of the subarray firing configurations;

(ii) duty cycle of the subarray firing configurations; and

(iii) sequencing of activation of electrode elements within the subarray firing configurations.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the tumors are spatially clustered, and wherein a single subarray firing configuration is configured to generate the TTF encompassing the clustered tumors.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the tumors are spatially separated such that separate subarray firing configurations are implemented to generate respective TTFs in the spatially separated tumors.

16 . A method of delivering tumor treating electric fields to a body of a patient, comprising the steps of:

placing mimicked tumors, representative of tumors in the patient, in a phantom;

positioning simulated arrays of simulated electrodes on the surface of the phantom;

implementing at least two subarray firing configurations for the simulated arrays of simulated electrode elements for targeting the mimicked tumors, the at least two subarray firing configurations depending at least in part upon a spatial relationship between the mimicked tumors;

running simulated TTF treatments of the mimicked tumors using selected pairs of electrodes in the mimicked arrays to determine a field strength in the mimicked tumors;

altering electrical parameters including a frequency and an amplitude of an electrical signal applied to the selected pairs of electrodes on the phantom;

repeating the running and altering steps until a selected field strength of the electrical signal is obtained in the mimicked tumors with the electrical parameters of the electrical signal;

implementing arrays of electrodes on the patient that correspond to the simulated arrays; and

treating the tumors in the patient by using the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient that correspond to the parameters of the selected pairs on the phantom and the spatial relationship between the mimicked tumors.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the phantom has therein simulated organs and simulated structure each with simulated electrical properties, at least some of the structure and organs being in the path of and through which a simulated electric field travels between the selected pairs of electrodes by which the simulated TTF field strength at the mimicked tumors is determined in the running, altering and repeating steps; and

the method, further including the steps of:

obtaining a biopsy of at least one of the patient's tumors;

determining electrical properties of the biopsied tumor; and

entering the electrical properties of the biopsied tumor as electrical properties of the mimicked tumors prior to the running step.

18 . The method of claim 16 , further including determining a duty cycle of each simulated electrode and a temperature of each simulated electrode; and

using the duty cycle to control the temperature of the electrodes on the patient by using the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient.

19 . A tumor treating apparatus comprising a TTF generator configured to execute a method of delivering tumor treating electric fields to a body of a patient, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an image and locations of tumors in the patient;

placing mimicked tumors, representative of the tumors in the patient, in a phantom;

positioning simulated arrays of simulated electrodes on the surface of the phantom;

implementing at least two subarray firing configurations for the simulated arrays of simulated electrodes for targeting the mimicked tumors, the at least two subarray firing configurations depending at least in part upon a spatial relationship between the mimicked tumors;

running simulated TTF treatments of the mimicked tumors tumor using selected pairs of electrodes in the mimicked arrays to determine a field strength in the mimicked tumors;

altering electrical parameters including a frequency, a shape of a waveform and an amplitude of an electrical signal applied to the selected pairs of simulated electrodes on the phantom;

repeating the running and altering steps until a selected field strength of the electrical signal is obtained in the mimicked tumor with the electrical parameters of the electrical signal;

implementing arrays of electrodes on the patient that correspond to the simulated arrays; and

treating the tumors in the patient by using the at least two subarray firing configurations for the simulated arrays and the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient that correspond to the parameters of the selected pairs on the phantom.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising the step of determining a duty cycle of each simulated electrode and a temperature of each simulated electrode, wherein the treating the tumor step further includes using the duty cycle to control the temperature of the electrodes on the patient by using the parameters of the electrical signal applied to selected electrodes on the patient.