What is the optune treatment?
Optune is a wearable, portable, FDA-approved treatment for glioblastoma (GBM) that works by creating Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), which are electric fields that disrupt cancer cell division. day to day.
How long does optune treatment last?
Using a model developed to simulate the growth kinetics of a malignant tumor, the minimal treatment duration for Optune has been determined to be approximately 4 weeks to reach tumor stabilization.
Does optune prolong life?
In a large clinical study, people who added Optune to chemotherapy* had a greater opportunity to live longer than those who used chemotherapy* alone. Nearly half of people using Optune + chemotherapy* were alive at 2 years compared with 31% of people on chemotherapy* alone.
Is optune chemotherapy?
Usually, they begin treatment with brain surgery, followed by chemo and radiation. Optune works to stop the cancer from returning by hitting the cancer cells with a low-intensity electrical field tuned to between microwave and ultrasound frequencies.
What is the success rate of optune?
Adherence to Optune was 75%. The patients in the temozolomide-alone arm received a median of 5 cycles. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.7 months in the Optune arm (95% CI, 6.1-8.1) and 4.0 months in the temozolomide arm (95% CI, 3.8-4.3).
How much does optune cost per month?
Then there's the cost: The Optune device costs about $21,000 per month. “The problem is that because this is something that you have to wear all the time, and if it's working, it really shouldn't be discontinued unless a patient has been totally stable for many years,” Dr.
Is optune a radiation?
Optune works differently from surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The TTFields created by Optune can slow or even stop GBM tumor cells from growing and dividing. TTFields may also cause some cancer cells to die. For people with newly diagnosed GBM, Optune is used with the chemotherapy temozolomide.
Does Medicare pay for optune?
HELIER, Jersey–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) today announced the Medicare durable medical equipment (DME) Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have released a final local coverage determination (LCD) providing coverage of Optune for Medicare beneficiaries with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) ...
Can optune cause seizures?
What are the possible side effects of Optune? Most common side effects of Optune when used together with chemotherapy (temozolomide, or TMZ) were low blood platelet count, nausea, constipation, vomiting, tiredness, scalp irritation from the device, headache, seizure, and depression.
What does optune feel like?
Tingling sensations: Some patients have reported feeling warmth and tingling in the skin during treatment. Muscle twitching: Because Optune devices rely on electrical fields—which are also the way messages are sent to muscles—twitching of muscle groups in the face has been reported.
What is the survival rate for Stage 4 glioblastoma?
Survival statistics for gliomasType of tumourAge5-year relative survivalanaplastic astrocytoma (grade 3)55–645%glioblastoma multiforme (grade 4)20–4414%45–544%55–641%6 more rows
Can optune get wet?
Getting the arrays wet can cause the patches to come loose and interfere with contact to the scalp. If this happens, the alarm may sound and the device may turn off. Any time the arrays become wet or loosen, they should be changed.
What is Optune Lua?
Optune Lua is a wearable, portable, FDA-approved device indicated for the treatment of adult patients, with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) to be used together with standard chemotherapy ( pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy).
Does Novocure make recommendations?
Novocure does not make any recommendations, referrals, or endorsements regarding specific physicians with whom patients seek treatment, nor does this site serve as a tool for verification of a physician's credentials, qualifications, or abilities.
Does Optune help with GBM?
The most common side effects when using Optune alone for GBM were scalp irritation (redness and itchiness) and headache.
Can Optune Lua cause redness?
A known sensitivity to conductive hydrogels(the gel on the arrays placed on the scalp or upper body like the ones used on EKGs). When Optune/Optune Lua comes into contact with the skin, it may cause more redness and itching or may rarely cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Is Optune Lua implanted?
MPM and an implanted electronic medical device including a pacemaker, implantable automatic defibrillator, etc.Optune Lua has not been tested in people with implanted electronic devices, which may cause the devices not to work properly.
Can you use Optune alone?
If your tumor has come back, Optune can be used alone as an alternative to standard medical therapy if: You have tried surgery and radiation and they did not work or are no longer working AND. You have tried chemotherapy and your GBM has been confirmed by your healthcare professional.
Does Optune work?
Optune has not been tested in people with implanted electronic devices, which may cause the devices not to work properly, and Optune has not been tested in people with skull defects or bullet fragments, which may cause Optune not to work properly.
What are the adverse reactions to Optune Lua?
Other less common adverse reactions were malaise, muscle twitching, and falls related to carrying the device . If the patient has an underlying serious skin condition on the treated area, evaluate whether this may prevent or temporarily interfere with Optune Lua and Optune treatment.
Can you use Optune with skull defects?
Use of Optune together with skull defects or bullet fragments has not been tested and may possibly lead to tissue damage or render Optune ineffective. Use of Optune Lua for MPM or Optune for GBM together with implanted electronic devices has not been tested and may lead to malfunctioning of the implanted device.
Can you use Optune Lua for MPM?
Do not use Optune Lua for MPM or Optune for GBM in patients known to be sensitive to conductive hydrogels. Skin contact with the gel used with Optune Lua and Optune may commonly cause increased redness and itching, and may rarely lead to severe allergic reactions such as shock and respiratory failure.
Does Novocure review information?
Novocure ® does not review the information contained on this website and/or database for content, accuracy, or completeness. Use of and access to this information is subject to the terms, limitations, and conditions set by the website and/or database producer.
What are the side effects of Optune?
The most common side effects when using Optune alone were scalp irritation (redness and itchiness) and . headache. Other side effects were malaise, muscle twitching, fall and skin ulcers. Talk to your doctor if you have any of these side effects or questions.
Can Optune be used with chemotherapy?
If you have newly diagnosed GBM, Optune is used together with a chemotherapy called temozolomide (TMZ) if: • Your cancer is confirmed by your healthcare professional AND. • You have had surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Recurrent GBM.
Is Optune for everyone?
Optune is not for everyone. Talk to your doctor if you have: • An implanted medical device (programmable shunt), skull defect (missing bone with no replacement), . or bullet fragment. Optune has not been tested in people with implanted electronic devices, which may .
Can you use Optune alone?
If your tumor has come back, Optune can be used alone as an alternative to standard medical therapy if: • You have tried surgery and radiation and they did not work or are no longer working AND. • You have tried chemotherapy and your GBM has been confirmed by your healthcare professional.
Can you use Optune without a training?
Optune should only be used after receiving training from qualified personnel, such as your doctor, a nurse, or . other medical staff who have completed a training course given by Novocure®, the maker of Optune. • Do not use any parts that did not come with the Optune Treatment Kit sent to you by Novocure or given .
What is the Optune device used for?
Uses. As noted above, the Optune device is indicated to treat glioblastoma. This brain cancer is aggressive, and it has been shown to develop either from adult neural stem cells or oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. GBM symptoms arise once tumor growth has started impacting other parts of the brain and include headache, nausea, vomiting, ...
What is the effect of optune?
Optune is a newer treatment approach for taking on glioblastoma (GBM), the most common form of brain cancer. Optune is a device that delivers low-intensity electrical fields to stop cancer spread. 1 Worn on the head and indicated for adult patients, this device emits what are called tumor treating fields ...
How strong is Optune?
This TTF will vary in strength between 100 and 300 kilohertz (kHz) depending on the specific type of cancer cells that are being targeted. 5 .
What age can you take optune?
Age below 22: The safety of Optune therapy has not been established for those 21 and under. Pregnancy: This therapy may also produce adverse side-effects in pregnant women and/or their fetuses, and its safety for this population has not been established.
Does optune affect radiation?
That said, studies have shown that Optune use will not accelerate or worsen the effects of chemotherapy or radiation treatment. 3 Still, these effects can become serious and lead to medical emergencies.
Can optune cause falls?
Falls: Patients undergoing Optune therapy are at a higher risk for falls and loss of balance. Fatigue: Constant tiredness has been reported as a common side-effect of this therapy. Infection: In rare cases, infections have been reported at the site of contact with the skin.
Is Optune Therapy the first line of treatment for GBM?
Such analysis also can give your doctor a sense of how fast GBM is spreading. Optune therapy is not usually the first line of treatment for GBM. It’s usually indicated alongside or after other approaches, such as surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
What are the side effects of Optune?
The most common (≥10%) adverse events involving Optune in combination with temozolomide were low blood platelet count, nausea, constipation, vomiting, fatigue, scalp irritation from device use, headache, convulsions, and depression. The most common (≥10%) adverse events seen when using Optune alone were scalp irritation from device use and headache.
What are the adverse reactions to optune?
The most common (≥10%) adverse events seen when using Optune alone were scalp irritation from device use and headache. The following adverse reactions were considered related to Optune when using the device alone: scalp irritation from device use, headache, malaise, muscle twitching, fall and skin ulcer.
What is the treatment for glioblastoma?
In the United States, Optune is intended as a treatment for adult patients (22 years of age or older) with histologically-confirmed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In the United States, Optune with temozolomide is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed, supratentorial glioblastoma following maximal debulking surgery ...
Where is Novocure located?
Headquartered in Jersey, Novocure has U.S. operations in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Malvern, Pennsylvania, and New York City. Additionally, the company has offices in Germany, Switzerland and Japan, and a research center in Israel. For additional information about the company, please visit www.novocure.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/novocure.
What is a novocure?
Novocure is a commercial-stage oncology company developing a proprietary therapy called Tumor Treating Fields, or TTFields, for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. Novocure’s commercialized product, Optune, is approved for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma. Novocure has ongoing or completed phase 2 pilot trials investigating ...
Can you use Optune with a skull defect?
Do not use Optune if you have an active implanted medical device, a skull defect (such as, missing bone with no replacement), or bullet fragments. Use of Optune together with implanted electronic devices has not been tested and may theoretically lead to malfunctioning of the implanted device. Use of Optune together with skull defects or bullet fragments has not been tested and may possibly lead to tissue damage or render Optune ineffective.
